Arsenal announce £35m Piero Hincapie signing as first summer transfer confirmed | OneFootball

Gunners kick off what is expected to be another big-spending summer

Arsenal have activated their option to sign Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis.

That has now been confirmed, with Hincapie joining Arsenal for a fee of around £34.5million plus add-ons.

The deal will officially go through on July 1. It suits both Arsenal and Leverkusen for it to be registered in the next financial year.

It is understood that the 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract, committing his future to the club through to the summer of 2031.

Piero Hincapie celebrating Arsenal’s title win

Getty

The defender becomes Arsenal's first signing of what is expected to be a busy summer.

Discussions are ongoing with Leicester to try and wrap up a deal for 16-year-old Jeremy Monga, while Arsenal also remain interested in Morgan Rogers and Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Hincapie had a delayed start to his Arsenal career due to injury but once in the team he quickly earned the trust of Mikel Arteta.

He made 39 appearances across all competitions, primarily from left-back, and was described as a "warrior" by Arteta.

Hincapie is currently at the World Cup with Ecuador and played the full 90 minutes against both Ivory Coast and Germany.

Ecuador need to beat Germany on Thursday night to prevent a surprise early exit from the World Cup, having been billed as one of the tournament's dark horses.

Hincapie will be given some time off after the tournament before joining up with the Gunners for pre-season.

Arsenal's first fixture of the summer will be played against Girona on August 1 in Spain.