Chelsea are prepared to pay Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie €7m a season (£116,000 a week) if he does make the switch to Stamford Bridge, according to reports in Ecuador.
The Blues are seeking a replacement for Levi Colwill, who is set to miss the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Bolavip claim that Hincapie could be brought in, with personal terms having seemingly been hashed out already.
The Ecuadorian website say that the main obstacle to overcome will be the transfer fee, with there being a gap between the two sides’ valuations of the player.
Leverkusen want £60m+ for Hincapie
It is believed that the centre-back’s current price tag is €70m (£60.4m), with Chelsea currently only prepared to go up to €60m (£51.8m).
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That is not a huge gulf to bridge, but you do have to keep in mind that the Blues are also trying to sign Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig and Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.
That means they can’t really afford to overspend on Hincapie, and that may be why it could be a while before we hear more about this deal, with funds needed to be raised through player sales.
Who are Chelsea looking to sell?
In terms of defenders, Enzo Maresca’s side are still looking to offload the likes of Renato Veiga, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell.
Veiga’s asking price is said to be close to €40m (£34.5m), and if a buyer can be found for the Portuguese international, it would go some way to funding a bid for Hincapie.
Maresca has publicly stated on more than one occasion in recent days that he wants a replacement for Colwill, so we shall see if the club do indeed step up their attempts to sign Hincapie.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here