Mikel Arteta has got another defender after Arsenal agreed to pay Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie £45 million.
This is according to athletic David Ornstein, who first broke the news of the full Arsenal-Leverkusen agreement.
Personal terms were agreed earlier this week, with Ecuadorian International ready to sign a five-year contract.
What remained was that the two clubs agree to the fees, and rumors suggest that it will be the first loan agreement with an obligation to purchase.
This is a positive agreement for Leverkusen and Arsenal, who want to record fees for next year’s book.
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Gunners did the same at Brentford in 2023, agreeing to sign goalkeeper David Raya with a £3 million mortgage, completing the £27 million signing the following summer.
Arteta has identified Hincapie as a defensible addition amid serious interest in left-footed centre-back Jakub Kiwior, who is scheduled to join FC Porto over the weekend.
Hincapie’s signature relied on Kiwior, leaving the club, but Olexandre Zinchenko is also available, attracting interest from Marseille, France.
The 23-year-old is an excellent defensive addition for Arteta, who added Valencia defender Christian Mosquera earlier this summer.
Ornstein added that the Leverkusen star has “been prominently stood out among Arsenal’s targets for a while,” and the 52 million euro (£45 million) deal includes a 10% sell-on clause.
Hincapy will need to travel to London this weekend to complete medical care and sign his long-term contract.
The Ecuadorian extended his Bayer deal to 2029 last December, but he told the club his desire to leave this summer, saying he “liked” to switch to the Emirates.
Arteta has been baffling fans with his overly defensive signature over the years, but Hincapy makes a lot of sense considering the situation of Kiwior and Zinchenko.
However, trading is not without ridiculous. Emphasised on defensive reinforcements during the Spanish tenure, Hincapie will become the 13th defender he has signed in in almost six years.
Some were fantastical, others were meaningless. Benjamin White, Julien Timber and Riccardo Carafioli were also impressed, but Benjamin White and Gabriel Magalhais were given.
In terms of pointlessness, Auston Trust comes to mind, as is Pablo Mari’s.
The era of Rob Holding, a partner in Mali, has long gone. Arsenal’s defensive depth is now frankly ridiculous.
Arteta’s favorite back four looks like Timber, William Saliba, Gabriel and Calafiori.
Arteta has also signed seven goalkeepers. That high number looks even more outrageous when he realizes that he only signs eight forwards.
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