Liverpool have decided against a winter swoop for €50 million-rated Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie but could return for the Ecuador international in 2024’s summer window.
According to Football Insider, Liverpool have taken a back seat in their pursuit of highly-rated Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie and are prepared to wait until next summer before making a concrete approach.
That is despite the Ecuador international’s agent, Manuel Sierra, recently confirming that the Reds showed an interest in his client over the last transfer window and remain keen ahead of January. He also added that it could cost the English giants around €50 million to sign him.
However, Football Insider now claims that the Reds are not willing to part with such a hefty amount midway through the season after splashing out a big outlay in the past summer transfer window on rebuilding their midfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were linked with a number of defenders throughout the summer, including Levi Colwill, Hincapie, and Micky van de Ven. But Liverpool decided against making a signing in that area of the pitch in favour of bringing in four new midfielders.
They spent a total of £146 million to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch. It was reported in mid-September that Liverpool are continuing to keep tabs on Hincapie, with a left-sided centre-back understood to be among the Reds’ priorities in the New Year.
However, the impressive starts made by veteran Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, and young Jarell Quansah this season suggest that there is more depth than some previously thought. Klopp’s men have made a fast start in the Premier League and are currently fourth in the Premier League table after accumulating 17 points from their opening eight games.
Their only loss came against Tottenham Hotspur, which suggests that the side could be capable of fighting on all fronts this season. As a result, Liverpool are not likely to make an attempt to sign Hincapie in the January transfer window, despite the club being admirers of the player.
The Merseysiders seem to have shelved their plans to sign the Ecuadorian centre-back to next summer when they anticipate a much fairer valuation. As for Hincapie, the 21-year-old has struggled for minutes at high-flying Leverkusen so far in 2023/24, featuring in just three Bundesliga matches, with all of those outings coming off the bench.
Hincapie’s inability to establish himself as a starter in Xabi Alonso’s starting XI is a sharp contrast to last season when the centre-back started 27 league contests and also stole the headlines with rock-solid performances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Leverkusen are in a strong position to charge a premium for their young defender as he only signed a new contract in February, which will run until 2027. It must also be noted that Liverpool have a number of other left-footed centre-back targets for next summer, with Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio one of them.
