Report: Dortmund's Papastathopoulos close to joining Arsenal for £16M

Arsenal is on the verge of completing its first signing under new head coach Unai Emery.

Less than a week after the Spanish gaffer succeeded long-time manager Arsene Wenger, the Gunners are close to signing Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos for a transfer fee worth £16 million, according to David Ornstein of BBC Sport.

The reported arrival of Papastathopoulos is the result of Arsenal's attempt to overhaul its back line. The club's new head of recruitment Sven Mislintat is also believed to be working on a deal to sign right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner on a free transfer from Juventus.

Papastathopoulos, 29, is expected to be slotted into the team's defensive scheme to kick off the 2018-19 campaign while captain Laurent Koscielny is sidelined with an Achilles injury.

It's understood Arsenal is eager to import experienced players this summer with the intention of giving them first-team opportunities next season while continuing to scout and develop young players.

In January, Konstantinos Mavropanos, 20, was the first signing under a restructured recruitment department, and he made his first-team debut against Manchester United in April.

Papastathopoulos scored two goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Dortmund, who finished a disappointing fourth and some 29 points back of champion Bayern Munich.