Tottenham transfer plan to sign partner in crime for Dier and Romero

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Tottenham are interested in launching a move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie after identifying him as a strong option to partner Eric Dier and Cristian Romero in central defence, according to reports. The north Londoners were credited with a desire to land Hincapie throughout pre-season but the 20-year-old ultimately ended up staying at Leverkusen, where he remains tied down until the summer of 2026.

Hincapie is said to remain a target for several clubs, though, with the likes of AC Milan and Napoli having developed an interest in the player in advance of the January transfer window. It seems as though Tottenham are planning to rival Hincapie’s other suitors in order to snap him up over the coming months, with Antonio Conte still keen on bringing him to north London in the not-too-distant future.

That’s according to Calciomercato, who state that Tottenham have been looking at Hincapie with ‘some interest’ as they continue to draw up their plan of action for the mid-season window. He is said to have been valued at around £22million by Leverkusen, who are in no hurry to sell but know they will have a big opportunity to receive a decent sum of money in exchange for his signature in January or at the end of the season.

Arsenal have also been credited with a desire to land Hincapie, though, while Milan, Napoli and Roma are said to have been keeping track of the player’s development over the last few weeks. It remains to be seen whether Tottenham will be able to nip ahead of the competition to snap him up for themselves if they decide to firm up their interest with an official bid at some point further down the line.

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Hincapie has emerged as one of Leverkusen’s most important defenders since joining the Bundesliga outfit from Argentinian side Talleres in the summer of 2021. He has already registered nine appearances in all competitions this season and is also a regular at international level for Ecuador, having played for the entire 90 minutes in each of their last nine outings.

The defender has already been tipped to impress in the Premier League if he ends up joining Tottenham by respected South American football expert Tim Vickery, who believes that he would be a shrewd addition to Antonio Conte’s ranks despite suggesting that his physical attributes are still in need of improvement.

“He’s developed excellent for a back-three system because he’s left-footed, and he brings the ball out,” Vickery told talkSPORT while discussing Hincapie’s qualities earlier this year.

“He’s very proficient at bringing the ball out, he’s constructive. My doubt about him is he’s a bit spindly, those little spindly legs. You think he’s going to blow over in a stiff breeze, so that would concern me a little bit.

“There have been centre-backs who have come into the Premier League and struggled physically. That may be a factor, but he’s developing very, very quickly. And every time I see him, I like him more.”

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