Arsenal have already agreed their first transfer of the summer window with months of the current season still to run.Mikel Arteta’s men look odds-on favourites to lift their first Premier League title since 2004, having built up a seven-point lead at the top with less than 10 games to go.Still in all four major competitions, the Basque boss will need to manage his squad carefully, but there’s no getting away from the fact they’re in a good spot.
Arsenal agree first signing of the summer transfer window
Arteta’s focus is very much on the now, but the wider team around him need to take a longer view than that, preparing for the seasons ahead regardless of what happens this term.With that in mind, the Gunners have already landed their first summer signing.
Piero Hincapie is a name very familiar to those connected with Arsenal, given he has been on loan from Bayer Leverkusen since last summer.That temporary switch came with an option to buy to the tune of £45m which, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, is set to be activated.The Italian journalist confirmed that the contract between Hincapie and Arsenal is already signed, a five-year agreement that will keep the Ecuador international in north London until at least 2031.“It’s already signed and completed,” Romano stated on his YouTube channel. “Piero Hincapie already feels as an Arsenal player on a permanent transfer.”The 24-year-old has already started 21 games for the Gunners, splitting his time between centre-back and left-back, and making a strong impression on the club.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, getting this agreed early makes perfect sense.Arsenal clearly have plenty of use for Hincapie and Arteta appears to be happy with the defender, so it makes little sense delaying the decision until the summer.As pointed out by Romano in the same video, this is similar to what the Gunners did with David Raya, loaning him first from Brentford before making the deal permanent. If the selling club is up for it, it’s a perfect way for Arteta’s side to try before they buy and avoid costly transfer mistakes.Hincapie is valued at €50m, according to Transfermarkt.
