Hamburg close to securing Greek international on permanent deal

According to Bild, Hamburg should complete a deal for Kyriakos Papadopoulos in the coming days after a successful loan spell last season.

An agreement is yet to be reached on a fee with Bayer Leverkusen but the two clubs are thought to be nearing a compromise that will see HSV pay around €7m up front with potential add-ons totalling closer to €10m.

The Greek international has had numerous injury problems that have stunted his development in the past but was fit enough to help Hamburg achieve safety after another relegation battle.

In 15 Bundesliga starts the giant centre-back scored twice, averaged an impressive 3.2 interceptions per game and won a further 4.6 aerial duels per game.

As such a WhoScored.com rating of 7.43 was not only a huge team-high but the best of any centre-back to start more than ten times. It was the first time that Papadopoulos had done so in a season since 2011/12 with Schalke.