Arsenal signed Ecuador defender Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen on a season-long loan, the Premier League club said on Monday.
Since arriving at Leverkusen in 2021, the 23-year-old has made over 100 appearances and was instrumental in their 2023-24 Bundesliga triumph. Arsenal have a £45m agreement to buy Hincapié next summer if they decide to make his move permanent.
“Piero has a real physical presence, with his versatility and tactical flexibility giving us strong added defensive options,” the Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, said.
“He is a big character, with a very good combination of both youth and maturity. He will make our squad stronger and more competitive as we continue into this season.”
Hincapié will take the No 5 shirt and link up with his new teammates when he returns from international duty.
Meanwhile, Fábio Vieira has joined Hamburg on a season-long loan, having fallen out of contention since making 33 appearances in his debut campaign after joining from Porto for a £34m fee in June 2022. He has featured just another 16 times since then – although he scored the winning penalty in Arsenal’s 2023 Community Shield triumph – and spent last season back at Porto on loan.
Vieira will be joined in northern Germany by fellow midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, who has completed a permanent switch to the Volksparkstadion after four years and 39 appearances with the Gunners.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, who moved to Arsenal for £30m from Manchester City three years ago, and winger Reiss Nelson have joined Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively on season-long loans.
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Fulham have strengthened their attacking options by signing the Shakhtar Donetsk winger Kevin in a club-record deal and Samuel Chukwueze from Milan. The 22-year-old Kevin has signed a five-year contract for a reported £34.6m fee – surpassing the club’s transfer record, which was £27m for Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal last summer.
Chukwueze, a Nigeria international who moved to the San Siro in 2023, said: “I’m so happy to be here, it’s an amazing club. It feels like home, because I have my people around me. I feel at home already, and I can’t wait to get started.”
