Antonio Conte has reportedly 'asked' Tottenham Hotspur to sign Bayer Leverkusen central defender Piero Hincapie in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Emerging talent

Hincapie is certainly an emerging talent in the game, and has even been dubbed 'South America's best young defender' in the past.

At just 20 years of age, he has already played 51 games for Leverkusen, including five times in the UEFA Champions League this season (every minute of Ecuador's FIFA World Cup campaign in Qatar.

The Latest: Conte request

Taking to Twitter, TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Marco Conterio has revealed that Conte has personally 'asked' the Spurs hierarchy to sign Hincapie in January, as he 'wants' the central defender to reinforce his defence:

"Antonio Conte asked for Piero Hincapie of #Bayer04 to the management of #Tottenham. The Italian coach wants the Ecuador central defender to reinforce the #THFC defence."

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The Verdict: Get it done

Hailed as 'colossal' by journalist Victor Hernandez Molina, Hincapie would certainly be an ideal signing for the North London club to improve sort their shaky defence.

After Boxing Day's 2-2 draw away at Brentford, they have now conceded 23 goals in the Premier League, with only nine other sides conceding more despite sitting in fourth place.

Hincapie is already one of the best centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues, ranking in the top 4% for dribbles completed, 7% for xAG and progressive passes received, and 8% for blocks per game over the past year, while he shares a similar playing style to the Lilywhites' own Cristian Romero (FBRef).

Lauded as being 'excellent' in a back three by South American football expert Tim Vickery, Hincapie could slot in perfectly under Conte.