Arsenal reportedly could stab Tottenham for the second time for weeks by landing another of its summer transfer targets. It comes a few days after they signed Ebeki Eze from under the nose of their North London rivals in an extraordinary hijacking. The former Crystal Palace man was destined to join the Spurs before his boyhood club Arsenal made a call.
Eze was announced as an Arsenal player before a big win over Leeds United and was able to make his debut with Liverpool this weekend. Now it’s revealed that another Tottenham target could soon be on his way to Emirates Stadium. The player in question is Piero Hincapype, who has excelled at Bayer Leverkusen over the past few seasons.
He is eager to join Arsenal, and the gunners are preparing to start his signature move, according to Athletic. The defender is claimed to have informed Bayer Leverkusen of his desire to leave before the end of the window.
They would prefer to keep him, unless Arsenal matches the full value of his release clause. However, the report says efforts are underway to reduce that figure to a more realistic market value.
Arsenal is a sharp admirer of Hincapie, but reportedly they need to move players before they can get interested. Jakub Kiwior, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Reiss Nelson are said to be among those who can leave.
Although Kiwior is thought to be attracting interest from Porto, West Ham linked with Vieira early in the window. Zinchenko and Nelson are mentioned in connection with Fulham, who is said to be keen to sign both players.
Earlier on Monday it was reported that Tottenham had submitted a formal bid to Hincapie. According to Fabrizio Romano, they offered the first loan agreement at the end of the season with an obligation to purchase the value of his release clause.
However, Hincapy is said to prefer to join Arsenal. This suggests that the Spurs are at risk of snatching another target by their biggest rival.
The defender usually works at centre-back, but he can also play on the left side of the back four. His versatility will be a solid addition to the gunners who are focused on improving team depth this summer.
Mikel Arteta refused to close the possibility of more acceptance after Eze was announced as an Arsenal player before the match against Leeds.
“We all have big smiles on our faces and understand that we’re doing really well, but the market is not closed,” the Spaniard said.
“We have to be very careful because there are so many things that can happen, but so far it’s a good thing.”
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