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Bayer Leverkusen have made a surprise decision over soon-to-be Arsenal defender Piero Hincapie.
football.london understands that Hincapie is set to join the Gunners on a season-long loan with an option to buy for £45 million. A medical is expected to be arranged shortly, and he could make his debut for the Mikel Arteta's side against Nottingham Forest following the international break.
The 23-year-old made the move from Argentine Premier League side Talleres to Leverkusen in August 2021 and has since made quite the impression in Germany. With 166 appearances for Leverkusen under his belt, along with seven goals and three trophies - including the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season - Hincapie is certainly one to watch.
But despite his imminent arrival in North London - Leverkusen have opted to name the Ecuadorian on the bench for Saturday's Bundesliga clash at Werder Bremen. The German club are managed by former Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag and will be looking to recover from an opening day defeat to Hoffenheim.
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Speaking at his pre-match press conference about Hincapie's future, Ten Hag said: “I won’t take it into consideration, but there are always rumours. On Tuesday, we’ll know what it looks like.
“We have good players, so there’s always a lot of interest. If you ask Piero, he’ll travel to Bremen.”
Arsenal have until 7pm BST on Monday, September 1, to get a deal officially over the line. The Gunners have spent over £250 million on seven players in the summer transfer window so far, with Hincapie likely to be their final new signing.
The defender will face stern competition if he is to earn a regular spot in Arteta's team. So far, the Arsenal head coach has trusted William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori to start both Premier League fixtures so far this season, meanwhile Ben White was swapped out after injury for Jurrien Timber.
On the bench are Myles Lewis-Skelly and Cristhian Mosquera, so Hincapie would have plenty of healthy competition. He would be fighting for the left-sided places in the department, which is the area Arteta has specifically wanted to bring in another player for in order to provide competition and complement his current squad.
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