Arsenal facing £20m loss on flop Mavropanos as three rivals eye transfer

Arsenal are reportedly faced with the prospect of losing out on £20million profit for forgotten defender Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Mavropanos, 24, is currently in his second loan spell with Stuttgart after spending the previous campaign with the Bundesliga side.

The central defender joined Arsenal in 2018 from Greek side PAS Giannina but has featured just eight times for the Gunners.

According to German outlet Bild, Stuttgart have an option to buy clause inserted in the player's contract, meaning they can sign Mavropanos for just £2.5m at the end of the season should they remain in the Bundesliga.

Former Arsenal head of recruitment and now Stuttgart sporting director Sven Mislintat revealed the nature of the deal in October.

Mislintat said, via The Sun : "We have a purchase obligation of three million euros (£2.5m) if we remain in the league."

But Stuttgart could look to sell him on and cash in on a potential £20m-plus profit for the Greek defender.

And the defender is reportedly not short of interest, with Eddie Howe's Newcastle, David Moyes' West Ham and German giants Borussia Dortmund all rumoured to be interested in a deal.

Such a move would be a disaster for Arsenal, who would miss the chance to make a profit themselves.

Mavropanos has revived his career during three loan spells, after failing to win a place in Arsenal's starting XI.

The 24-year-old spent the 2019-20 campaign with Nurnberg, before joining Stuttgart the following the season.

After a successful loan, Pellegrino Matarazzo's side extended his spell at the club.

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Mavropanos has featured 15 times for a Stuttgart side struggling to keep their heads above water this season and has scored five times.

However, there is, of course, a slim chance Mavropanos could opt to remain at Stuttgart.

When asked if he could see himself staying at Stuttgart in November, Mavropanos told Bild : "Of course I can imagine that.

"But we have to wait and see. For me, everything is perfect at the moment. The club and the city."

But such comments came before recent reports indicated the defender has caught the eye of bigger clubs around Europe.

The defender has recently opened up on his move to Arsenal in 2018 in an interview with GOAL and SPOX.

"Oh man, that was a crazy day," he said. "I remember it very well.

"I had a very good six months in Greece for my club PAS Ioannina and on New Year's Eve I got the call that Arsenal wanted to sign me. On 31 December I got the call and on 1 January I was already on my way to London to sign my contract.

"I was so nervous during those days. Suddenly such a big club like Arsenal wants you, I was a bit rattled."

Arteta's Arsenal will play host to West Ham at the Emirates in the Premier League on Wednesday.