Tottenham Hotspur are preparing a £20 million offer for Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie
According to The Sun, Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur are keen to make an offer of £20 million for Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie.
The 21-year-old defender moved to Europe from Ecuador in 2021 and has since seen his reputation soar at Leverkusen. In 51 appearances for the Bundesliga giants since Hincapie has scored three goals and made one assist across all competitions.
Antonio Conte is keen to bring in a left-sided central defender this January and is a known admirer of the Ecuadorian international. Solid on the ball and good in the air, the South American fits the requirements of Conte’s three-man backline to a tee.
Despite impressing in the Bundesliga and also the World Cup, Leverkusen could consider selling Hincapie. This is good news for Tottenham, who could address their recent downturn in form by bringing in the requisite additions to plug the gaps.
However, any hopes the North Londoners might have had of making use of the player this season could prove far-fetched. Tottenham could reach an agreement for the player this month but might have to loan him back to the Germans for the remainder of the campaign.
Tottenham made Cristian Romero’s stay at the club permanent last summer, and the Argentine is today an integral part of Conte’s roster. However, the back three as a unit is yet to find their feet and has appeared porous at times.
While Eric Dier has impressed at times, Conte has had to make do with Ben Davies as the third centre-back. Davinson Sanchez and Japhet Tanganga are simply not at the required level, while Joe Rodon’s future at the club is far from certain.
Conte’s 3-5-2 system relies heavily on a solid backline that implements no-nonsense defending as their mantra. It more or less provides the foundation for his full-backs to push forward and provide width. The lack of such a solid rearguard has created a sort of domino effect that also adversely affects other positions on the field.
Hincapie certainly ticks all the right boxes for Conte and can develop into a long-term solution for Spurs’ woes in defence. The Londoners will be well advised to move fast given that the 21-year-old is also attracting interest from Barcelona, Napoli, and Inter Milan.
The Ecuadorian is not the only defender on Tottenham’s radar this January. Conte and co are also keeping close tabs on Sporting CP’s Pedro Porro. Clearly, the Tottenham manager considers his defence to be a weak link.
