Arsenal have officially completed the permanent signing of defender Piero Hincapie in a worth £34.5 million, as the Premier League champions begin to fortify their squad ahead of their title defence.
The 24-year-old Ecuadorian international, currently representing his country at the World Cup, initially joined the Gunners on a loan agreement from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
Hincapie proved to be a crucial figure in Arsenal’s triumphant campaign, making 39 appearances across all competitions as the club secured their first league title in 22 years and reached the Champions League final.
His long-term future at the Emirates Stadium was widely anticipated, with Arsenal confirming on Thursday that they have activated a clause to make his stay permanent.
The new contract is understood to commit Hincapie to the club until 2031, marking him as Arsenal’s inaugural summer acquisition following last year’s significant expenditure of over £250 million on seven players.
Hincapie has featured in both of Ecuador’s World Cup fixtures to date – a 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast and a goalless draw against Curacao.
He is expected to play a pivotal role once more on Thursday as the South American side faces Germany, with a place in the knockout stages at stake.
Ecuador will need to beat Julian Nagelsmann’s side to have any chance of qualifying for the round of 32 after only taking a solitary point from their opening two games.
After this summer’s tournament, Hincapie will turn his focus back to cementing his spot as Arsenal’s starting left-back under Mikel Arteta.
Hincapie had a competitive battle with Riccardo Calafiori for the left-back berth throughout last season, with Myles Lewis-Skelly being pushed into midfield.
Hincapie got the nod to start the Champions League final against PSG, which saw Arsenal take an early lead through Kai Havertz.
However, PSG fought back to take the game to extra time after Ousmane Dembele scored an equaliser from the penalty spot.
The match eventually went to penalties, with PSG coming out on top. The French champions prevailed 4-3 on spot-kicks, with Arsenal being made to pay for misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes.
