Arsenal have made contact with Bayer Leverkusen to sign defender Piero Hincapie, according to [The Athletic’s David Ornstein](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6573642/2025/08/25/arsenal-hincapie-transfer-news/).
The 23-year-old is keen on making a move away from BayArena this summer with his €60 million release clause active.
Hincapie’s preference is to join Arsenal as other Premier League clubs gain interest in the defender. The Gunners are set to potentially hijack Tottenham’s efforts, [after Spurs made initial contact for the defender today](https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1959901682789224479?t=UIP4wmGtSAHSBeSuRwXjaw&s=19).
The Ecuador international has made 166 appearances in all competitions for Leverkusen since joining in 2021 and was part of the squad that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in the 2023/24 season.
Leverkusen have already seen several members of the side that have brought them their recent success depart this summer. Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Amine Adli, Granit Xhaka, and Jonathan Tah have all left the club, as has former head coach Xabi Alonso.
The Gunners have spent more than £200m on new signings this summer and are now working to sell players – with Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko among those available for transfer.
There has also been some interest in centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Porto among the clubs keen.
Erik ten Hag’s side lost to Hoffenheim on Saturday in their first Bundesliga match of the season, with Hincapie visibly seen teary on the pitch.