Arsenal defender favours a move to La Liga with Real Betis

Arsenal defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos is prepared to snub advances from Genoa in order to join Real Betis this month.

The Greece international has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Gunners and he was excluded from the Premier League and Europa League squads earlier this term.

With under six months left on his contract, the Gunners are looking to offload him this month rather than losing him on a free transfer at the end of the campaign.

Genoa have expressed an interest in signing Sokratis and they are even prepared to hand him the captain's armband. However, the centre-back prefers to join Real Betis, having been impressed by their project.

A move to Betis would see him reunited with former Borussia Dortmund teammate Marc Bartra. The Spanish outfit have yet to open negotiations with the Gunners as they need to offload at least one player before they can buy.

Sokratis has made 63 appearances during his Arsenal career. The 32-year-old has not made a single appearance for the senior side this term, but he has featured in a couple of games for the Under 23s.