According to The Sun, Arsenal are expected to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie on a permanent deal this summer following his season-long loan stint.
The Gunners recruited the 24-year-old from Leverkusen on deadline day last summer. They signed him on an initial loan deal with an option to buy for around £45 million when the season ends.
Hincapie was initially a regular on the substitutes’ bench but he has played a prominent role for the Gunners as the season has progressed. The Ecuadorian has been almost ever-present this year.
The Sun now claim that Arsenal only signed Hincapie on loan last summer due to accounting purposes. A similar strategy was utilised to land goalkeeper David Raya from Brentford in 2023.
The Spaniard eventually joined the Gunners permanently for £27m in the season after. Arsenal are planning to do the same with Hincapie and are poised to trigger his £45 million buy clause.
Summer signing
Hincapie had a nervous start to his Gunners career and came for criticism in December last year. His poor decision-making contributed to a last-minute throw-in from which Aston Villa scored a dramatic winning goal at Villa Park.
The Leverkusen loanee has since improved his positioning and distribution from the back. He has looked more composed as the season has progressed and has nailed down the left-back role for the Gunners in the last few months.
He was initially in the XI after Riccardo Calafiori’s injury setback, but has managed to cement the spot in the league since. He probably produced his best performance of the campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion in midweek.
Arsenal were far from their best in the 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium. They required a strong defensive shift. Hincapie was exceptional alongside Gabriel Magalhaes and made a stunning 12 clearances, while winning six duels.
The 24-year-old was also brilliant with his recovery pace and made a superb challenge on Georginio Rutter at the edge of the box. Hincapie has quite clearly become a fan favourite and it appears a no-brainer decision to sign him permanently.
Hincapie looks poised to become the club’s first permanent signing of the summer transfer window.
