Pastathopoulos joins German side Dortmund

Dortmund: Greek international and former Werder Bremen defender Sokratis Pastathopoulos joined league rivals Borussia Dortmund until 2018.

The 24-year-old centre-back agreed to put pen-to-paper Tuesday for a five-year deal with Champions League finalist Dortmund. The Greek international is supposed to compensate the leaving of Felipe Santana, who joined Schalke. "We are pleased that Sokratis opted for Borussia Dortmund. He is flexible and can play on various position of the defence. Besides we see great potential in him," Dortmund`s director of sport Michael Zorc said. Sokratis joined Werder Bremen in 2011 from Italian side Genoa to score two goals in 59 matches. Furthermore, he played 38 caps for the Greek football team. "I had two years at Bremen of which I personally benefited. Now, it was time for me to take the next step," Sokratis said. Both sides agreed to keep silent on financial details of the transfer. IANS