Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a late enquiry to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie this month, according to reports.
The Lowdown: Attracting interest
The Ecuadorian’s contract in the Bundesliga isn’t set to expire until 2026, but having been a standout performer for his nation at the World Cup, has attracted plenty of interest since the tournament.
Premier League top-four chasers Spurs are just one of several clubs to have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old centre-back, with Newcastle one of the other teams reportedly in the mix.
And after a deal for full-back Pedro Porro seemingly collapsed in the early hours of Monday morning, it sounds like Fabio Paratici has initiated contact regarding a last-minute deal for a central defender instead.
The Latest: Spurs make Hincapie contact
According to 90min, Tottenham have ‘been in touch’ with Bayer Leverkusen ‘in recent days’ to discover ‘what it would take’ to complete a deal for Hincapie.
Antonio Conte’s side have ‘enquired’ about taking him on an initial loan with a view to a permanent, and whilst the player is ‘open to the move’, his club have placed a €75m (£65m) price tag on his head.
The Spurs boss is ‘keen to bolster his defence’ and holds a ‘long-standing’ admiration for the 6 foot star.
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The Verdict: Lenglet replacement?
Clement Lenglet will reach the end of his season-long loan upon the conclusion of the 2022/23 campaign, so Hincapie could be the perfect permanent replacement for Tottenham.
The Esmeraldas native currently averages 2.2 clearances and 1.5 tackles per Bundesliga game, via WhoScored, and ranks in the 96th percentile for dribbles completed, highlighting his calmness and composure playing out from the back.
Hincapie has been labelled a ‘prodigy’ by journalist Jose de Jesus Ortiz and would certainly be an ideal signing with long-term potential, though one has to wonder if the right side of the defence is still the more pressing matter.
Porro ranks highly in nearly every single attacking metric on FBRef and would have been a significant upgrade at wing-back, so perhaps the club should mark Hincapie down as a summer priority instead.