Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie is open to joining Arsenal before the transfer deadline, despite interest from their North London rivals Tottenham, GIVEMESPORT sources have revealed.
The Ecuadorian centre-back is pushing to leave Leverkusen in the final week of the summer transfer window and has set his sights on a late move to the Emirates, with Arsenal now exploring a potential deal.
Leverkusen are currently only prepared to sell Hincapie on their terms and insist his €60m (£52m) release clause must be triggered for a deal to happen.
However, there is a sense that the one-time Bundesliga champions could lower their demands in the final days of the transfer window, with both Arsenal and Tottenham monitoring the situation.
Tottenham are understood to have made an approach for Hincapie last week, followed by a loan bid with an obligation to buy in recent days, GIVEMESPORT sources have learned.
However, Hincapie is prepared to wait and see if Arsenal can swoop in with a late offer, which depends on whether the Gunners can secure outgoings to create space and funds for a potential deal.
Mikel Arteta’s side could offload both Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko in the final days of the window, with Porto pushing to sign the Poland international before the deadline.
The Portuguese club are optimistic that a loan with an obligation to buy worth £25m will be enough to persuade Arsenal to sell Kiwior, who has yet to play a single minute for the Gunners this season.
Zinchenko, who was not included in Arsenal’s squad for their first two Premier League games, could also depart before the window closes, with less than a year remaining on his contract.
Hincapie, described as a ‘warrior’ by his agent Manuel Sierra, joined Leverkusen from Argentine side Talleres in the summer of 2021.
He helped the German club win their first-ever Bundesliga title in 2023/24 and could soon depart as part of the ongoing first-team exodus, alongside Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah and Granit Xhaka.
