Jose Mourinho has wasted no time after returning as Real Madrid manager, signing four players to strengthen his squad, with the Arsenal defender next on his shopping list.
Jose Mourinho has been busy in the transfer market (Image: Valter Gouveia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Arsenal star Piero Hincapi is a target for Real Madrid as manager Jose Mourinho looks to continue his spending spree. Mourinho, who made his sensational return to the Bernabéu earlier this month, has already signed four new players for a total of £68m.
Real have completed the signings of full-backs Marc Cucurella and Denzel Dumfries, and acquired Bernardo Silva and Ibrahima Konate on free transfers. Even though three of them are defenders, Mourinho’s momentum remains unstoppable.
Los Blancos’ new manager is looking for a left-handed centre-back who can also play as a left-back. Hincapie, 24, fits that profile and Real have made inquiries, ESPN reported.
Any deal would be complicated by the fact that Arsenal only signed Hincapie on loan from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, with a £45m buyout obligation. Although a permanent transfer has not yet been confirmed, the Ecuadorian international is expected to return from the World Cup as an Arsenal player.
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Real will also need to make room for Hincapie’s arrival. Mourinho’s current squad already has five centre-backs: Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huyssen, Raul Asensio and Konate.
The paper adds that Real will listen to offers for Asensio, with Asensio’s departure potentially key to Hincapie’s arrival. Throughout the season, the 24-year-old established himself as Arsenal’s regular starter, with Mikel Arteta also praising him.
“He was very dominant in every defensive move,” the Arsenal manager praised in February. “He has a better understanding of what we want offensively, all set pieces and all aspects related to the game model we have.
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Piero Hincapie is wanted by Real Madrid (Image: Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“He’s very well-liked by the players. You can see that in the way they interact with him and react to him. So I’m very happy that he showed that.”
However, Hincapie is not a player on Real’s shortlist. He is joined by Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni and Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck.
For Hincapie and Ecuador, the World Cup hasn’t gone according to plan so far. After losing 1-0 in stoppage time to Ivory Coast in their first Group E match, Ecuador drew 0-0 with Curaçao, meaning they almost certainly need to beat Germany to advance.
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