Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapié is on his way to London to undergo medical examinations prior to his possible transfer to Arsenal.
According to sources close to the negotiation, the agreement between the clubs was finalized on Saturday, after Leverkusen accepted an initial loan proposal with a clause that will make the transfer permanent next summer. The player has already agreed to the terms of his contract with the North London club.
The 23-year-old footballer was on the bench during his team’s 3-3 draw against Werder Bremen on Saturday, but took the opportunity to say goodbye to Leverkusen fans after the final whistle.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has been key in this deal and, according to a source, called Xabi Alonso for references, as the Real Madrid coach managed Hincapié during his time at Leverkusen.Piero Hincapié seemed to say goodbye to Bayer Leverkusen fans after the team’s 3-3 draw with Werder Bremen on Saturday.
Alonso also had Hincapié on his list of potential signings for Real Madrid, but the Madrid club did not finalize the transfer after the arrivals of Dean Huijsen and Álvaro Carreras.
The Arsenal have already spent more than £250 million ($338 million) in the summer market and cannot afford to sign Hincapié directly. Therefore, in recent days, they have been negotiating to convince their Leverkusen counterparts with a loan offer with the mandatory purchase clause.
On Monday, it was reported that Arsenal had made an approach to explore the possibility of signing Hincapié while negotiating the sale of Jakub Kiwior to Porto.
Initially, Leverkusen intended to keep the central defender and the club’s initial response was to request the player’s release clause, valued at £51.9 million. However, Arsenal made it clear from the start that they would not pay that amount and that they preferred to postpone the payment of the transfer to a later date.
Hincapié’s willingness to leave Leverkusen to start a new adventure at Arsenal has been decisive in making the deal happen. Chelsea was also following the player’s situation.
