Celtic and Newcastle United look set to miss out on Piero Hincapie with Club Atletico Talleres president Andres Fassi claiming the defender is on the verge of a move to Serie A, as reported by El Desmarque.
Well, that didn’t take long.
Mundo Deportivo reported as recently as Thursday that two British-based clubs – Scottish giants Celtic and Premier League outfit Newcastle – had expressed an interest in an exciting, £9 million-rated central defender.
Ecuador international Hincapie has burst on to the scene in South America and, after just 25 senior games, looks set for a big-money move to Europe already.
But, at this stage, it seems highly unlikely he will replace Kristoffer Ajer in Glasgow or compete with Jamaal Lascelles and co for a starting place under Steve Bruce.
Have Celtic and Newcastle missed out on Hincapie?
“(Hincapie) is in very advanced talks with a team from Italy,” Fassi confirms.
“We will see how we progress next week. (Hincapie) is already made for European football.”
The Talleres president was unwilling to name the club in question, although there’s no shortage of Italian interest in the 19-year-old defender.
Lazio, Sampdoria and an AC Milan side that finished second in the table despite boasting the youngest squad in Serie A are all potential destinations for Hincapie.
Should the teenager join the Rossoneri, his signature could push club captain Alessio Romagnoli further towards the exit.
The out-of-favour Italian has already been linked with Everton and Tottenham Hotspur and won’t be handed a contract extension at the San Siro.
Celtic, meanwhile, are also looking at another highly rated defender in the shape of Mario Vuskovic, according to The Sun, but missed out on the signing of Joseph ‘the new Virgil van Dijk’ Okumu this week.
Okumu joined Belgian outfit Genk in a deal worth £3 million.
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