Piero Hincapie to Arsenal transfer truth and five more deals Andrea Berta is working on

Arsenal are taking steps to try to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen, football.london understands, with as many as five exits from the club in the works in the final week of the window.

It has been an excellent week for Arsenal. They came away from a 5-0 opening home victory at the Emirates Stadium for the new season over Leeds United, in which their seventh summer signing, Eberechi Eze, was unveiled to supporters in a near-perfect mood.

The only downside to the weekend’s action was Bukayo Saka's and Martin Odegaard's injuries. Both exited the field of play but football.londonunderstands neither are as bad as first feared, with Saka’s injury in particular considered not comparable to the one he suffered last year that required surgery.

Odegaard, meanwhile, is understood to have been in quite some pain and required a sling for his shoulder after the match, as first reported by Sami Mokbel. However, he too is not thought to have suffered anything serious either.

With the work that has been done in the market at present, a response like we saw to Kai Havertz’s injury is not expected. The Gunners remain active this window and are keen to secure the sales of key players.

football.london understands there was consciousness at the club about the UEFA Financial Fair Play restrictions prior to the move for Eze. However, Havertz’s injury and Spurs’ protracted talks with the player prompted a response not to wait for the sales.

It has added some level of pressure on outgoings with just a week left. So far, only three players have departed the squad but there is a feeling it will be a busy final week of the window for the Gunners.

Karl Hein joined Werder Bremen on loan with an option to buy. While Marquinhos and Nuno Tavares left early in the window for meagre sums.

Reiss Nelson, Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira are all still on the club’s books and need new homes. Whether that is permanent, which the club would prefer, or on loan remains to be seen. While several have been linked with moves, only Kiwior looks close to a potential exit.

The Pole has garnered interest from Portugal, Italy and Germany this summer, but football.london understands Porto are the club most likely at this stage to land his services. If Kiwior leaves, however, behind both Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori would only be Myles Lewis-Skelly on the left side.

Cristhian Mosquera has added defensive depth and can allow Saliba to move to left centre-half. However, Mikel Arteta has preferred left-footers on the left side of his back line. An exit, therefore, could prompt a late move and Hincapie is understood to be of genuine interest to the club, football.london understands, but face a fight, once again, with Tottenham over a potential transfer.

Interest in the Ecuador international dates back several years, with club scouts extensively watching the player. Andrea Berta was also keen on the player while he was with Atletico Madrid, but no move materialised.

Nelson’s talks over a potential move to Fulham have dragged on as expected. While Vieira’s potential move to Stuttgart is in doubt after a gap in the valuation of the player.

Hopes of a final incoming in the forward line remain low, although as usual the club maintain they are always open to any market opportunities. Berta has proven to be a swift operator in the window, and therefore, nothing can be ruled out entirely.

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