Arsenal could hand a debut to Piero Hincapie as early as this weekend when they face Liverpool.
Standard Sport understands Arsenal hold a long-term interest in Hincapie and are set to make a move for the Bayer Leverkusen defender with Jakub Kiwior closing in on an exit.
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The Poland international, who stood in for the injured Gabriel towards the end of last season, is set to join Porto on a season-long loan.
According to reports in Portugal, there is an obligation for the loan to be made permanent in the summer for around £21.5million amid suggestions Kiwior could undergo a medical on Tuesday.
While a final agreement between Arsenal and Porto is yet to be struck, the expectation is the two teams will come to terms over a deal.
Should the Gunners get Kiwior out of the door and replace him with Hincapie, they will face a race against the clock to have the Ecuador international available for selection against Liverpool.
For Hincapie to be eligible to face the current Premier League champions, he must be registered by Friday’s 12pm deadline.
Should the trip to Anfield come too soon then the next opportunity to hand the defender a debut will come after the international break when Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, September 13, 2025.
Capable of operating as a left-sided centre-back or at left-back, Hincapie has a £52m (€60m) release clause in his contract at the BayArena, though the Gunners are hopeful of striking a deal for less.
If the 23-year-old does make the switch to the Emirates before next week’s transfer deadline, he will become Arsenal’s eighth major signing of the summer window, potentially pushing the spend into the £300m mark.
