Liverpool are set to enter the market for a competitor for Virgil van Dijk – with one superstar linked with a move
(Image credit: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Liverpool could be about to bring in a South American sensation before the end of the transfer window.
The Reds are finishing the window with what they hope will be a flourish, looking to add depth to their midfield. Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joined early on in the summer before Wataru Endo was added recently in a leftfield move, when Liverpool lost out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
But with just a week left of the transfer window, the Merseysiders are looking across the side for improvements – and one defender has emerged as a target.
Wataru Endo joined Liverpool to give another option in defensive midfield (Image credit: Getty Images)
Fichajesvia Football365 claims that Jurgen Klopp's side are prepared to "open their wallets again", as they target Bayer Leverkusen defender, Piero Hincapie.
Ecuadorian Hincapie has been operating under former Anfield hero Xabi Alonso and meets the profile of what Klopp would like in another centre-back. The 21-year-old is physical, adept in possession and left-footed, giving the German boss the option to shift captain Virgil van Dijk to the right side to cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold's inverting drifts into midfield.
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BILD, however, have poured water on the move, claiming that it would take an astronomical fee to tempt the Bundesliga outfit into selling their prized defender. Leverkusen would want to sell for around €70 million – meaning that Liverpool's modest rumoured offer of €45m will likely be batted out of hand.
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Hincapie only signed a new deal in February of this year, after helping his nation to the knockout stage of the World Cup mere months prior. An expiry date on the deal of 2027 means that there's no pressure to sell unless a huge offer comes in.
Piero Hincapie of Ecuador will cost Liverpool a lot of money (Image credit: David Ramos - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Leverkusen have already sold superstar Frenchman Moussa Diaby this window to the Premier League, with Aston Villa making him their record signing at around £45m. Die Schwarzroten would be loathed to lose another star for a similar amount.
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
