Arsenal agree €52m Piero Hincapie deal as Arteta secures €10m discount

Piero Hincapie will become Arsenal’s first permanent signing for the 2026/27 season, with Mikel Arteta securing a massive discount on a player who has become a star performer in the Premier League.

The Gunners are ready to make Hincapie’s stay at the Emirates Stadium full-time, having been sufficiently impressed to take up the buyout option in the defender’s loan deal.

Hincapie arrived in North London from Bayer Leverkusen on Deadline Day in the summer, and with Arsenal “very happy” with the performance of the Ecuador star, they have already been convinced to make the transfer permanent, TeamTalk reports.

‘Warrior’ Hincapie proving essential to Arsenal

Arsenal will pay Leverkusen another €52m on top of an initial €6m loan fee for Hincapie, who has played 26 times for the Gunners.

His game time has been split between the middle of the defence but also in the left-back role, where Riccardo Calafiori’s persistent injury issues have allowed him to demonstrate his quality and versatility.

Arteta has already praised the impact that the 24-year-old has made on his side.

Following his debut against Tottenham in the autumn, the Spaniard said: “Big credit to Piero Hincapie, because that’s a massive challenge, to have your Premier League debut starting against your biggest rivals in a really special day against top players up front, to replace Gabriel.

“It’s not easy at all, he did it in a really convincing way, that’s his personality. As I said before, he’s a warrior, he’s somebody that faces any challenge.”

Those sentiments are echoed by a ‘well-placed source’ quoted by TeamTalk: “Piero has settled so well into the squad and the club as a whole. The staff are very happy with him, and he has just been getting better and better.”

Arsenal secure €10m discount on Hincapie

Thanks to his performances at the Emirates this season, Hincapie’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) has climbed from €59.4m in the summer to €67m at the start of February.

With Arsenal having agreed a deal with a total of €58m in the summer when the loan fee is taken into account, the Gunners have managed to land themselves a bargain. They will sign Hincapie for close to €10m less than he is currently worth.

Given that they already know that he is a strong fit for the squad and therefore carries the absolute minimum risk, this promises to be an excellent piece of business for the Premier League leaders.

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