Jose Mourinho is reportedly pushing Real Madrid to sign a top Arsenal star who excelled during the club’s Premier League title-winning campaign.
The Portuguese tactician recently secured his return to the Santiago Bernabeu, 13 years after he left following a season he called “the worst of his career”.
Real Madrid are already making moves in the market after securing a deal for Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella, along with the free agent additions of Ibrahima Konate and Bernardo Silva.
However, Mourinho is reported to want one more central defender, preferably a left-sided one, and is ready to shake up a backline that also includes Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen and Raul Asencio.
And, according to ESPN, Madrid have enquired about signing Arsenal star Piero Hincapie, who is currently with Ecuador’s squad for their World Cup campaign.
Mourinho specifically wants the 24-year-old due to his ability to also cover at full-back, despite the fact that Hincapie only signed a permanent deal with the Gunners this summer.
The Ecuador star was outstanding during his loan stint from Bayer Leverkusen, starting 30 games across all competitions, while playing at centre-back and left-back, to leave Arsenal triggering their £45m option to buy.
And Mikel Arteta revealed he spoke to former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso prior to taking Hincapie on loan, admitting: “When I spoke to Xabi just before we were going to sign him, I said if you have to describe him in one word, what would you use, and he said, ‘he’s a warrior’. ‘He will play through brick walls for you and he’s one of the most competitive players that I have had’.
“He’s come into the Premier League after surgery and a difficult start without a pre-season, and when you see him around his team-mates and competing on the pitch, it’s like he’s been here for 10 years. He has an aura, a charisma, a really special character.”
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Mourinho facing Hicapie disappointment
As much as Mourinho wants Hincapie, the Real boss will almost certainly have to look elsewhere, considering how much Arteta values his versatility.
Indeed, the Spanish giants are also said to have Manchester City’s Ruben Dias on their shortlist, alongside highly-rated duo Alessandro Bastoni and Nico Schlotterbeck.
However, Madrid will need to trim their squad first to secure new additions, as Mourinho looks to wrest back control from Barcelona in Spain.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur have been alerted to the fact that Nico Paz could unexpectedly become available this summer after a dramatic change in Real Madrid’s thinking, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester United’s “dream” is to bring Aurelien Tchouameni to Old Trafford, as the Spanish media claim that the Red Devils’ co-owners, INEOS, have made contact with Real Madrid for Eduardo Camavinga.