Arsenal have the option to buy defender Piero Hincapie for around £45 million in the summer, and it’s understood that the North London club and Mikel Arteta have decided on whether they will activate this clause or not.
After sanctioning Jakub Kiwior’s departure to Porto, the Gunners moved late in the summer transfer window to secure a replacement. Andrea Berta swiftly agreed a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to acquire Hincapie’s services on a season-long loan, with a view to making it permanent the following summer.
The Ecuadorian endured a somewhat difficult start to life at the Emirates, struggling with form and fitness, although he has started to find his feet in recent weeks. Fighting off competition from Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly, Hincapie was outstanding against Tottenham on Sunday, and appears to have made the left-back position his own for the time being.
Piero Hincapié made sure he didn’t miss his teammates’ celebrations during the North London derby 🤝 pic.twitter.com/dsFOat3ASM
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) February 24, 2026
Arsenal make Piero Hincapie transfer decision
Many Arsenal supporters questioned the necessity of Hincapie’s addition in the summer, after the 24-year-old became the Gunners’ eighth signing of an unprecedented transfer window. However, after a turbulent start, his usefulness in Arteta’s squad has become apparent.
The versatile left-sided defender has now started 19 games across all competitions, and is arguably Arsenal’s first-choice left-back at the moment. Without him, the Gunners’ squad would’ve been severely stretched at times, with his ability to play as a full-back and a centre-back meaning he’s capably filled in for both Calafiori and Gabriel Magalhaes.
That said, despite featuring relatively regularly, Arsenal fans weren’t necessarily convinced by Hincapie until recent displays. Conversely, the key decision makers at the Emirates have been.
According to transfer expert Graeme Bailey of TeamTalk, the North Londoners are now preparing to make Hincapie’s switch to N5 permanent. Arteta has made his stance clear on the deal, informing Berta that he would like to add the player to his squad on a full-time basis.
The Spaniard has reportedly been extremely impressed with Hincapie and how he has settled into Arsenal’s squad. The Gunners paid an initial £5.2 million loan fee for the Bayer Leverkusen man, and are expected to send a further £45 million to the German club in the summer.
Hincapie could become Arsenal’s first signing of the summer of 2026.
Is Piero Hincapie worth £45 million?
It’s clear that Arsenal needed to add another left-sided defender in the summer. Arteta had lost all four of Jakub Kiwior, Kieran Tierney, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oleksandr Zinchenko, and was thus left with just Gabriel, Calafiori and Lewis-Skelly who could operate on this side.
With Lewis-Skelly still raw and Calafiori injury-prone, an experienced and dependable option was required. Hincapie emerged, and he’s started to fulfil this role impressively of late.
| Piero Hincapie’s Premier League Statistics 2025/26 | |
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Pass Accuracy | 89.6% |
| Key Passes per 90 | 0.76 |
| Aerial Duels Won per 90 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 84.7% |
| Tackles per 90 | 2.27 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 1.24 |
If he continues this form, then the Gunners would certainly be right to trigger the purchase option. There are few defenders of his age and profile who can play both centrally and on the left to a high level, who are likely to be available for less than £45 million in the summer.
Thus, this would likely be a sensible use of resources from Arsenal, with Berta again demonstrating his ability to identify talent and negotiate appropriate deals for this talent.
