If things had worked out differently, Piero Hincapie could have been a Liverpool player by now.
As the Ecuador international’s agent explains, the £50 million-rated Bayer Leverkusen defender was a target for the Premier League giants over the summer. In fact, Liverpool only opted against bringing Piero Hincapie to Anfield because of the rather more pressing requirement for midfield reinforcements, Jurgen Klopp spending heavily on Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch to plug the gaps created by the departures of Fabinho, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.
“Liverpool were interested in him,” Manuel Sierra, Hincapie’s agent, tells Futbol Sin Casette. “But, at that time, they chose to invest in the midfield.
“For January, they are talking (with Hincapie), like other clubs. (To sign him, you will have to pay) no less than £50 million.”
According to 90Min, Leverkusen have little interest in letting any of their players leave in the winter. A historic Bundesliga title very much in the sights of a team in stunning form, unbeaten and sitting pretty in nosebleed territory, top of the table ahead of Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich.
Liverpool decided not to sign Piero Hincapie
A place in Leverkusen history beckons, then, for Hincapie. Though, even if Xabi Alonso can maintain a stunning start to the current campaign from now until the end of May, those celebratory steins may end up tasting a little bittersweet as far as Hincapie is concerned.
After missing the first three games of 2023/24 through suspension – Hincapie still has a habit of collecting enough cards to fill an entire shelf at Clinton’s – the 21-year-old has not started a single Bundesliga game. In fact, he’s played just 24 of a possible 630 minutes. Only included in Alonso’s XI for the Europa League and the DFB Pokal.
That should change, at least. Hincapie is likely to benefit as Edmond Tapsoba faces a couple of weeks on the sidelines following an operation to correct a hand injury. Fail to perform, however, and Hincapie will be out of Alonso’s XI again as soon as Tapsoba is back available.
No Bundesliga starts yet
There is no room for mistakes in a title battle with Bayern Munich. Hincapie’s hopes of winning Alonso over, while maintaining his chances of a potential £50 million move to Liverpool, are likely to rest on how he performs between now and Tapsoba’s return.
No pressure, then.
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