Arsenal have officially secured the permanent services of defender Piero Hincapie in a deal worth £34.5 million, as the Premier League champions begin to strengthen their squad ahead of their upcoming title defence. The 24-year-old Ecuadorian international, who is currently competing for his country at the World Cup, initially joined the Gunners on a loan agreement from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
Hincapie proved to be an indispensable figure during Arsenal's successful campaign, featuring in 39 matches across all competitions. His contributions were instrumental as the club clinched their first league title in 22 years and also reached the Champions League final. The permanence of his tenure at the Emirates Stadium had been widely anticipated, with Arsenal confirming on Thursday that they have activated a clause to make his stay a long-term one.
The new contract is understood to tie Hincapie to the north London club until 2031, making him Arsenal's initial summer acquisition following last year's substantial expenditure of over £250 million on seven new players. This move signals Arsenal's intent to maintain and build upon the strong foundations laid during their triumphant season.
Hincapie has already played in both of Ecuador's World Cup fixtures to date, experiencing a 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast and a goalless draw against Curacao. He is expected to play a vital role once more on Thursday as the South American side faces Germany, with a place in the knockout stages of the tournament at stake. Ecuador will need to overcome Julian Nagelsmann’s team to have any chance of progressing to the round of 32, having secured only a single point from their opening two matches.
Following the conclusion of this summer’s tournament, Hincapie will shift his focus back to cementing his position as Arsenal’s starting left-back under manager Mikel Arteta. Last season saw a competitive battle for the left-back spot with Riccardo Calafiori, which also resulted in Myles Lewis-Skelly being deployed further up in midfield. Hincapie was given the nod to start the Champions League final against PSG, a match where Arsenal initially took the lead through Kai Havertz before PSG fought back to win 4-3 on penalties after Ousmane Dembele’s equaliser.