PAOK have reached a final agreement with Bundesliga club FC Augsburg for the return of Dimitris Giannoulis, closing out weeks of negotiations over the Greek international left-back.
PAOK, known to their fans as the "Dikefalos tou Vorra" (Double-Headed Eagle of the North), had held an oral agreement with the 30-year-old for some time but had been unable to reach terms with the German club. That final step came on Tuesday afternoon, 4 August, when the deal for Giannoulis's return to Toumba, PAOK's home ground in Thessaloniki, was completed.
Augsburg chief executive Michael Ströll traveled to Austria, where the German club is holding the main phase of its preseason training, to inform the Greek international that the two clubs had activated the agreement they had reached roughly ten days earlier.
Giannoulis was given permission to travel immediately to Thessaloniki, with a deadline of Wednesday noon, 5 August, so he could undergo the necessary medical examinations before signing his new contract with PAOK.
Two years in the Bundesliga
Giannoulis's spell in Germany was a productive one. Over two seasons with Augsburg he made 63 appearances, scoring 3 goals and providing 10 assists. He arrives back at PAOK on the back of a strong Bundesliga campaign in which he confirmed both his quality and his consistency on the pitch.
A regular for Greece
Giannoulis also remains an active member of the Greek national team. He has earned 34 caps for Greece and has established himself as one of the country's regular choices at left-back.
