Arsenal are now closing in on a deal to sign Piero Hincapie, with Bayer Leverkusen accepting the proposal of a loan with an obligation to buy.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal are now closing in on a deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Piero Hincapie, with the German club accepting a loan with an obligation to buy.
That was the formula the Gunners were pushing for, and Leverkusen have now accepted the offer. Romano adds that details of the structure of the eventual fee are now being sorted, after which it could be considered a done deal.
As James McNicholas and Chris Weatherspoon report for The Athletic, Arsenal will ideally want a loan with a conditional obligation. A true obligation to buy would mean that the permanent transfer is guaranteed, and the deal would have to be included in this year’s accounts.
But if the deal had certain conditions to make it permanent, it wouldn’t be considered guaranteed, and it could be recorded in the following year’s accounts for Financial Fair Play purposes.
For example, Arsenal could require Hincapie to make 20 appearances before the deal turned permanent. That would surely happen over the course of the year, but because it’s not 100% guaranteed, it doesn’t count as a permanent transfer for financial purposes.
Leverkusen would likely be happy with such an arrangement, as they’ve already brought in a lot of money this summer and would benefit more from accounting for this transfer next year.
Football Insider Hand of Arsenal reports that Arsenal are meeting with Leverkusen within the next hour to finalise Hincapie’s transfer, with Friday viewed as the key day to sort out the deal.
At this stage, the exact figures of the transfer are unclear. Hincapie has a €60m (£52m) release clause, but the expectation was that Arsenal would be looking to negotiate a deal below that amount.
Centre-back Hincapie can also play at left-back, and he seemed to say a tearful fearwell to Leverkusen after last Saturday’s match against TSG Hoffenheim. The player has already agreed personal terms with Arsenal, so he’s just waiting on the club agreement.
Tottenham Hotspur were also in for Hincapie and made two offers to Leverkusen, but they faded from the race as soon as Arsenal arrived.