Arsenal Plot £55million Transfer Move as Tottenham Outline Stance on Possible Hijack

Arsenal are plotting to raid Bayer Leverkusen for their £55million-rated defender Piero Hincapie.

The central defender, who can also do a turn at left-back, is available at that fee because of a release clause in his contract that interested clubs would have to reach.

The Gunners want defensive cover as they reportedly get ready to sell Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko who could have been sold last season had Mikel Arteta not changed his mind.

Kiwior could leave for FC Porto who have interest in the Poland international but that would leave them short at the back and Arteta is said to be a fan of Hincapie.

Arsenal want Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen

Any signing of the Ecuadorian would certainly see the North London club strengthen the depth of their squad but it would also be a statement given the amount they have already spent on new recruits.

Arsenal have splashed out close to £260m this summer alone on the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze and Martin Zubimendi to name just a few.

They have added to almost every position in the squad but want Hincapie to bolster the defence where he has shown himself to be versatile throughout his career.

The defender has managed 166 matches for Leverkusen in his years there and scored seven goals with five assists.

Before that the 23-year-old played 22 times for CA Tallares but he could be convinced to make the switch to England in the Premier League if and when Arsenal make an official approach.

Spurs could rival Arsenal for Hincapie like Ebere Eze

It does make things interesting, however, following reported interest in the player from the other side of the North London rivalry and Thomas Frank’s Spurs.

They were seemingly keen on Hincapie to come to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and that would create a fresh transfer dynamic that fans have already watched play out once this summer already between the two old foes.

We told you how Eze was a wanted man at Spurs as they sought to freshen up their attack in what would have been a £64m signing for Frank and his squad.

The Danish manager even directly addressed interest in Eze before the England international made his decision clear that he wanted to join Arsenal and return to his boyhood heroes who had released him from the Emirates as a kid.

Eze would make the move to Arsenal, in the end, and now the possibility for Hincapie to do the same is an intriguing side story.

According to the Mirror, however – and despite long-running links to Spurs, they have distanced themselves from the player.