Liverpool scouted Piero Hincapie at the weekend with Jurgen Klopp interested in his transfer, so here is everything you need to know about the Bayer Leverkusen talent.
The Reds were among a clutch of top Premier League clubs to send their talent spotters over to Germany. Teams from around the country flew out to Saxony to watch Bayer Leverkusen’s trip to RB Leipzig. Hincapie would also hand his side a 3-2 win with a goal in the 91st minute.
Hincapie connected with Alejandro Grimaldo’s stoppage-time corner to register his first goal of the Bundesliga campaign. Saturday’s meeting also returned only his fifth start through 11 top-flight games this term under the attentive glare of scouts from Liverpool and their rivals.
Liverpool scouted Piero Hincapie as Bayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig
Sources have confirmed to HITC Football that Liverpool flew scouts to see Hincapie as Bayer Leverkusen visited RB Leipzig on Saturday. Arsenal also had their talent spotters at the game but to run the rule over Xavi Simons, Lois Openda, Jeremie Frimpong and Exequiel Palacios.
Scouts for Manchester City also used the Bundesliga match as a chance to check out Florian Wirtz. While Manchester United had eyes on several players in the 3-2 affair but their focus was Benjamin Sesko. West Ham United were also watching Jonathan Tah and Adam Hlozek.
Further scouts working for the Saudi Pro League plus Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus also attended the game. Simons (7’) and Openda (56’) twice gave RB Leipzig a lead against Bayer Leverkusen but Nathan Tella (47’), Tah (63’) and Hincapie (90’+1) replied.
The win extended Die Werkself’s position atop the Bundesliga table to seven points through 18 fixtures. RB Leipzig also remained in fourth place with Bayern Munich losing 1-0 at home to Werder Bremen and VfL Bochum beating VfB Stuttgart 1-0. Der FCB have played 17 times.
So, with Hincapie scoring to extend Bayer Leverkusen’s spot atop the Bundesliga table under the eyes of scouts for Liverpool, here is everything you need to know about Klopp’s target…
Who is Liverpool transfer target Piero Hincapie?
Liverpool transfer target Piero Hincapie is a defender with Bayer Leverkusen and has been at the Bundesliga club since August 2021. Die Werkself signed the Ecuadorian from CA Talleres for his maiden move to Europe. Hincapie also cost the BayArena club €6.5m (£5.5m) to sign.
Talleres agreed to sell Hincapie after just one year at the Argentine Primera Division side. He had moved to the Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes during August 2020 to break away from his academy club, Independiente del Valle. Hincapie was with the Ecuadorian squad since 2016.
His move to Europe with Bayer Leverkusen in 2021 has also since helped Hincapie become a senior Ecuador international. The defender had only featured for La Tri at the Under-17 level – for whom he also captained – during 2019 before recording his senior debut in June 2021.
Hincapie even captained Ecuador’s U17s from his debut during a 2019 U17 South American Championship encounter. He is yet to captain La Tri at the senior level but has, at the time of writing, enjoyed 30 caps. The defender has also scored once and assisted one further goal.
When and where was Piero Hincapie born?
Piero Hincapie was born on January 9 in 2002 in the coastal city of Esmeraldas in north west Ecuador. The capital of the Esmeraldas Province had a population of 626,000 as of the most recent census in 2018. It was also a record-high for the city facing a steady rise since 2010.
What position does Piero Hincapie play?
Bayer Leverkusen have predominantly relied on Piero Hincapie to play as a centre-back but also relish his versatility to play in other positions. The Ecuadorian also features regularly as a left-back for the Bundesliga club and has even appeared as a left-sided midfielder, as well.
Hincapie has rarely featured outside of his traditional centre-half position for Ecuador so far in his fledgling career, though. The 6ft enforcer also played predominantly as a centre-back with CA Talleres and Independiente del Valle in his earlier formative years in South America.
How good is Piero Hincapie?
Liverpool scouted Piero Hincapie as Bayer Leverkusen visited RB Leipzig last Saturday to run the run amid a mixed campaign for the Ecuadorian so far this season. The game marked just his fifth start across 11 Bundesliga outings over 15 games since returning from a suspension.
Hincapie started his season serving a three-game ban for a red card issued in Die Werkself’s final fixture of 2022/23. Disciplinary issues have been a frequent theme throughout his time at BayArena with 21 yellow cards, two double bookings and one straight red card thus far.
His tenacious mindset regularly sees Hincapie opt to attempt challenges with a fondness for slide tackles. The left-footed defender is also comfortable with the ball and challenging with aerial duels. While his former Bayer Leverkusen boss Gerardo Seoane admired his potential.
“We knew he had the potential,” Seoane once outlined, via quotes by Bundesliga.com “But the way he’s rising to the challenge and coping with the intensity levels is really impressive. We’re pleasantly surprised with how he’s performing in the Bundesliga and Europe.”
Piero Hincapie modelled his game on Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos
Hincapie has also revealed that he used to watch legendary Spain centre-backs Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos in his youth. The Ecuadorian would use his lengthy journeys to fixtures to learn how the Barcelona and Real Madrid greats played in the position he strived to occupy.
“On Fridays, when we travelled by bus for seven or eight hours to play for Independiente del Valle, I watched a lot of videos of Puyol and Ramos,” Hincapie told Scouted Football in 2022.
“I watched the videos so I wouldn’t get bored on the bus and that’s when I realised that I really liked Puyol. He had a special way of playing, perhaps less technical than Ramos, but he was a leader and captain. One of the best centre-backs I’ve ever seen.”
Hincapie also admitted that he likes Tottenham Hotspur defender Cristian Romero ‘a lot’. His brother also likens the Bayer Leverkusen talent to the Argentine, who won the World Cup in 2022. Spurs initially signed Romero on loan in 2021 before securing his permanent transfer.
Piero Hincapie’s stats at Bayer Leverkusen
Hincapie has so far only featured for Bayer Leverkusen’s first-team since joining Die Werkself in August 2021. He has also held a regular place in their XI for Bundesliga games, Champions League clashes, Europa League ties and DFB Pokal games when he is available for selection.
Bayer Leverkusen: 95 appearances, 4 goals, 3 assists
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