Barcelona apparently has the hots for Piero Hincapie, the 24-year-old Arsenal defender whose performance secured him a starting spot in the Champions League Final against PSG. It sounds like Barca is willing to pay through the teeth for him, too. But does that mean The Gunners need to watch their back?
The answer is somewhat complicated, but it boils down to…not really.
News of Barcelona’s interest in Hincapie comes from Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, who notes that while the club understands it would not be an effortless pursuit, they are emboldened to aim high following their second straight LaLiga title.
These sentiments align with how Barca has functioned in recent weeks. “The Spanish champions have kickstarted their recruitment drive by agreeing to a £70million ($81.6 million USD) plus deal to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United,” Jones writes. “They are also preparing an offer for striker Julian Alvarez at Atletico Madrid, but [they] know with their rivalry plus a huge price tag that it’s not straightforward either.”
Price doesn’t seem as if it would be a roadblock to any Hincapie pursuit from Barcelona. The club continues to be valued at £6.5 billion ($7.5 billion USD) and is already considered the favorite at most football betting sites listed as SportsBettingSites.com to win a third straight LaLiga championship next year.
Hincapie’s availability is Barcelona’s primary issue. The same goes for any other organization who might be interested in him. Because the fact of the matter is, Hincapie may not actually be up for grabs.
Hincapie’s Unique Loan Agreement Gives Arsenal All the Power
Arsenal currently has Hincapie on load from Bayer Leverkusen. The terms of this agreement feature what is called a “mandatory buy-out clause” if certain conditions are met. While the conditions are not publicly known in totality, the prevailing belief is that they have already been bet.
After extensive negotiating with Leverkusan last summer, Arsenal will pay a £52 million ($60.6 million USD) and can secure Hincapie on a five-year contract that will keep the centre/left back in London for the foreseeable future.
Granted, a couple of wrinkles are still left to iron out. First and foremost, Arsenal must be willing to bankroll not only the transfer fee, but Hincapie’s deal. Given the lengths they traveled to broker this agreement, that feels like a no-brainer. Remember, the Kroenke ownership group reeled in more than £300 million ($349.5 million USD) worth of talent last summer. They appear serious about investing in this club—so long as they’re winning titles anyway.
Does Hincapie Want to Stay with Arsenal?
This is the next most important variable in any equation. Hincapie has the cache to force relocation if he so chooses.
Some have speculated that he might want to go somewhere in which he has an even bigger role. But manager Mikal Arteta has leaned on the youngster in plenty of high-stakes situations, including during championship matches. He has also constantly sung Hincapie’s praises, going as far as calling him a “warrior.”
What’s more, while reporting Barcelona’s interest in Hincapie, the Daily Mail says that consensus in industry circles is that Hincapie remains happy in The Emirates. That itself could go a long way toward deciding how Arsenal handles its upcoming decision on him.
On the flip side, it might be a stretch to say The Gunners are guaranteed to keep Hincapie. Make no mistake, it feels likely given everything we know. But Arteta was previously non-committal about Hincapie’s future when asked where Arsenal stood on the matter, noting that the club would play out the rest of the season and then go from there.
Complicated still, it isn’t clear whether Arsenal’s other ambitions could compel them to consider Hincapie’s deal too expensive. It’s universal knowledge that they want to beef up their depth at full-back and in attack. The Daily Mail even says that Atletico’s Julian Alvarez is among the names on their wish list. This says nothing of the clear need for additional bodies in the midfield.
Assuming Arsenal are bent on checking as many of these boxes as possible with players guaranteed to headline the rotation, they’re going to get prohibitively expensive. Though the Kroenkes have shown a willingness to pay for talent, every C-Suite has its financial breaking point. If Arsenal targets two starting-caliber names, it will necessitate cuts elsewhere.
As of now, it does not seem like Hincapie’s future with The Gunners is on track to become collateral damage. Players such as Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard are more commonly mentioned in this discussion.
All of this should come as great news to Arsenal fans—and discouraging news to Barcelona.
Image Source: unsplash.com