Piero Hincapie to Arsenal transfer takes step forward as loan conditions explained

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen, football.london understands, and the transfer is on track to be completed before Monday night's deadline.

The Gunners have had a strong summer transfer window recruiting in a number of positions that had troubled Mikel Arteta's side as they finished runners-up in last season's Premier League. That includes the defence, with Cristhian Mosquera already signed and Hincapie set to be the club's eighth new player of the window.

Hincapie has been tied to the Emirates Stadium in rumour for a long time. He expressed his desire to leave Leverkusen, who have lost manager Xabi Alonso and several key players already this summer, and now Arsenal are set to capitalise.

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The Premier League and Bundesliga clubs have come to an agreement for the 23-year-old to move on loan for the entirety of the 2025/26 campaign.

A medical is booked for the defender to complete the switch. Providing all goes well he could make his debut following the September international break, when the Gunners host Nottingham Forest.

Critically, football.london understands Hincapie's season-long loan includes a £45m option to buy next summer - not an obligation.

This will hand the Ecuadorian the opportunity to impress Arteta and his staff before a definitive decision is made.

Hincapie has a competitive defensive line to displace one of four teammates from. So far Arteta has trusted William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Riccardo Calafiori to start both Premier League fixtures so far this season, meanwhile Ben White was swapped out after injury for Jurrien Timber.

On the bench are Myles Lewis-Skelly and Mosquera, so Hincapie would have plenty of healthy competition in North London.

He would be fighting for the left-sided places in the department, which is the area specifically Arteta has wanted another player to complement his strong selection.

But Hincapie would arrive with plenty of experience to back up his claim for a place in Arsenal's starting line-up. He has made 166 appearances in Germany, was a key part of Leverkusen's 2023/24 domestic double-winning side, and has earned 46 caps for his country already.

Tied to Hincapie's arrival are player departures before the transfer deadline. football.london understands Arsenal were in reognition of the UEFA's Financial Fair Play restrictions prior to the signing of Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace.

The Gunners have agreed to sell Jakub Kiwior to FC Porto in a deal that could rise to €27m (£23.4m), with personal terms already agreed.

Talks are still ongoing with VfB Stuttgart over the sale of midfielder Fabio Vieira, meanwhile Albert Sambi Lokonga, Reiss Nelson and Oleksandr Zinchenko are also on the books and could be sold before Monday's deadline.