Arsenal have expressed interest in hijacking another Tottenham transfer deal by signing Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie.
Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Hincapie, who has informed Leverkusen of his desire to leave the club before the transfer deadline.
The 23-year-old, who can play centre-back or on the left, has made 165 appearances for the Bundesliga side over the past four seasons.
Hincapie, who has 46 international caps for Ecuador, is under contract until 2029 but has a release clause worth 60m euros (£52m).
He looked emotional on the pitch after Bayer Leverkusen’s opening Bundesliga defeat to Hoffenheim on Saturday.
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Tottenham have already seen one offer rejected by Leverkusen but are expected to return with an improved bid.
However, Spurs face the prospect of missing out on another target to north London rivals Arsenal after the Gunners entered the transfer race.
Arsenal have made an official approach for Hincapie and the early indications are that he favours a move to the Gunners, according to The Athletic.
But Arsenal will only made an official bid for Hincapie if they are able to offload current defenders, with Jakub Kiwior and Oleksandr Zinchenko both linked with moves.
Porto are planning to make an improved bid for Kiwior this week after seeing an initial offer rejected earlier in the summer.
Mikel Arteta is reluctant to lose Kiwior without the guarantee of a replacement but Arsenal are expected to agree to a deal if Porto offer around £20m.
More to follow…
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