Arsenal Transfer News: Gunners Pursue Kyriakos Papadopoulos to Solidify Defense

Gunners manager Arsene Wenger isn't satisfied with his club just securing a Champions League appearance again this year. Instead he intends to keep his eyes on the market during the summer transfer window and find some stars to bolster his Gunners squad. 

According to The Mirror, Arsenal has their eyes on Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a highly rated Greek defender from Schalke 04. Papadopoulos has been part of the Greek soccer scene for a long time, becoming the youngest player ever to play in the Greek League at just under 16 years old. 

Papadopoulos has been targeted by Arsenal and Wenger in an effort to "strengthen the center of their defense," which played pretty well in the Barclays Premier League, allowing just 37 goals in the 2012-13 campaign, which was third best in the league. 

Some fans, however, totally support the move:

The Greek star is being targeted especially after Arsenal couldn't get things rolling with Swansea's Ashley Williams. After progress stalled with Williams the Gunners shifted their focus to Papadopoulos as an alternative. 

For Arsenal to get their hands on the Greek star, Schalke has said that it would cost upwards of £19 million to bring the Greek defender over, but sources close to the player and the league say that it would more realistically cost somewhere closer to £13 million. 

Reports also say that Liverpool and Chelsea are in hot pursuit of the 21-year-old defender. 

Arsenal wasn't really struggling on the defensive side of things in the Barclays Premier League last season, but if they can get a player with the level of tenacity and technique on defense that Papadopoulos brings to the table for a good price, there is no reason that the Gunners shouldn't pursue another talented player to bolster their already strong lineup, but if they can find better use for that chunk of change, they shouldn't lose sleep over missing out on Papadopoulos.