Tottenham Hotspur want Piero Hincapie but the defender has now decided to commit his future to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.
We can expect to see Tottenham linked with a host of left-sided centre backs between now and the end of the summer window.
Antonio Conte is committed to playing a back three and that means having a naturally left-sided defender in there.
Ben Davies has transitioned into that role well whilst Clement Lenglet is on loan from Barcelona.
The Frenchman may not end up staying permanently though, with Tottenham possibly seeing him as a short-term bridge until they can spend on a long-term solution.
Alessandro Bastoni and Josko Gvardiol have been linked but a more realistic target has been Leverkusen ace Hincapie.
Tottenham target Piero Hincapie commits to Bayer Leverkusen
Ecuador defender Hincapie isn’t the biggest or most physically-imposing defender of all time.
Yet he does have pace and ability to play out from the back having played at both left back and centre back.
The 21-year-old has now played 18 Bundesliga games this season and seemed to be what Tottenham were seeking.
90min reported in January that Hincapie was open to joining Tottenham before the transfer deadline.
No deal materialised though and Leverkusen allegedly slapped a staggering €75million (£66million) asking price on his head.
Leverkusen didn’t want to sell in the middle of the season so Tottenham were quoted a huge price as a result.
Tottenham unsurprisingly didn’t accept those demands and their window to sign Hincapie may now be closed.
Leverkusen have confirmed that Hincapie has now signed a new contract until the summer of 2027, committing his future to the club for the next four-and-a-half years.
Hincapie may still be on Tottenham’s wish list but any deal will now cost a staggering fee – possibly even higher than £66million after this new deal.
That may send Tottenham back to the drawing board for a left-sided centre back, with prices for those players starting to go higher and higher.
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