Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly lining up a summer raid on German giants Bayer Leverkusen for the signing of Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie.
According to Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur’s search for defensive reinforcements has taken them to the Bundesliga as they consider a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen youngster Piero Hincapie.
The 20-year-old defender burst onto the scenes at the Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle before joining Argentine outfit CA Talleres in 2020. He enjoyed a productive campaign there while also impressing for the Ecuador national team at the Copa America last year. It prompted Bayer Leverkusen to bring him to the Bundesliga in the summer transfer window of 2021.
Since arriving at the BayArena, Hincapie has flourished a great deal, becoming one of the most promising young defenders in Europe currently. The youngster has featured in 16 of Leverkusen’s 22 Bundesliga matches, helping them to third place in the standings. In addition, the centre-back has performed admirably for his national team in the CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
Hincapie’s rise to prominence in his debut season in European football has not gone unnoticed as Tottenham have taken a liking to the defender. Antonio Conte was intent on bolstering his defensive options in the January transfer window. But the Lilywhites failed to recruit any centre-halves, something that the Italian tactician hopes to address in the summer.
Tottenham have Cristian Romero, whose transfer was made permanent, along with Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga as options in the centre-back position. Joe Rodon is also on the books but finds himself out of favour, while Davies, at times, has shown signs of getting caught out against pacy forwards.
So, it would bode well for the north London outfit to bring in another left-footed centre-back who can be a notable upgrade on the Wales international. It has led to links with Inter Milan mainstay Alessandro Bastoni while RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol has also been touted as a target.
Hincapie, too, has emerged as a potential transfer target for Tottenham, with the report claiming that the Ecuadorian features high on their transfer wishlist for the summer. However, the 20-year-old has a long-term contract with Bayer Leverkusen that runs until the summer of 2026. So, prising him away from the German giants could require a large investment from Tottenham.
In addition, Hincapie is also attracting interest from several other clubs such as Napoli, AS Roma, AC Milan, Sevilla and Zenit St. Petersburg. So, it remains to be seen if Tottenham decide to make a push for him in the summer or look at other options.
