Mikel Arteta already has the ultimate Piero Hincapie transfer reference ahead of new Arsenal move

We are now into the final week of the summer transfer window and Arsenal still have deals to finalise. It has been an extremely busy summer at the Emirates Stadium with Andrea Berta working his magic for the club.

The Gunners have so far signed seven players for the 2025/26 campaign, with Eberechi Eze the latest to join Arsenal after completing a £67.5million move from Crystal Palace on Saturday. The England international joins Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cristhian Mosquera, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres in putting pen-to-paper on terms in north London.

The club's transfer dealings have certainly strengthened Mikel Arteta's squad for a title push but the numbers could be set to increase further ahead of Monday's 7pm transfer deadline. football.london understands Arsenal are taking steps to try and sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen.

The Ecuador international could be set to come in and bolster the numbers at centre-back, with Jakub Kiwior possibly in line to exit for Porto. Hincapie is understood to be of genuine interest to the club and his left centre-back role plays into Arteta's hands to ensure the head coach has balance in such a key area of the pitch.

The 23-year-old has been on Arsenal's radar for a number of years, with club scouts extensively watching the player. Berta was also interested in the player during his time at Atletico Madrid but a move to the Spanish capital never materialised.

Instead, Hincapie has made quite the name for himself in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen since joining from Talleres back in 2021. The defender more than played his part in the club's successful 2023/24 campaign where they won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal under the guidance of Xabi Alonso.

When it comes to the player potentially moving to Arsenal, Arteta knows the perfect person to deliver the truth on Hincapie given he and Alonso have been close friends since their childhood together in the Basque Country. As Berta also knows the player extremely well after tracking him while working at Atletico Madrid, Arteta and Arsenal should not be short of glowing references for the Esmeraldas-born player.

Speaking in March 2023, Alonso heaped praise on the defender and outlined the qualities that make him so highly rated in the game.

"I think he's a very modern defender," said the Spaniard. "He can play in different positions. He's served us as a full-back, but has also been the left centre-back when we've played with a back three.

"He's aggressive, is making better decisions when he has the ball, backs himself more to play diagonal passes and get in behind. It motivates me to have a player with his potential and desire because he helps you and you help him. He's a great player."

Making some notable additions to their squad in the transfer market that could prove key come May as Arsenal look to achieve their goals, the potential signing of Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen may be yet another transfer win for Arsenal.

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