Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte is reportedly keen to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie in 2023.
The 20-year-old has established himself as a first-team regular with the Bundesliga club since joining from Argentinian outfit Talleres in the summer of 2021.
Indeed, Hincapie has already featured 51 times for Leverkusen across all competitions, including 18 appearances at either left-back or centre-back this season.
The 24-cap Ecuador international, who played three times at the 2022 World Cup, is believed to have caught the eye of a number of top clubs across Europe, with London trio Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea all credited with an interest.
© Reuters
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Hincapie is 'appreciated' by Conte and the Italian coach would like to lure the youngster to North London in the New Year.
The report adds that both Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici are 'studying the possibility' of tabling an offer for the defender either in January or next summer.
However, it is thought that Spurs may be reluctant to meet Leverkusen's demands, with the German club set to ask for at least triple the £5.5m that they spent on the Ecuadorian last year.
Leverkusen are under no immediate pressure to sell Hincapie, who is under contract at the BayArena until the summer of 2026.
© Reuters
Spurs allegedly may face competition from Serie A duo Napoli and Inter Milan for Hincapie's signature, with the former weighing up potential replacements for Kim Min-jae amid interest from the likes of Manchester United.
Inter, meanwhile, are sweating over the futures of defensive duo Milan Skriniar and Stefan de Vrij, who are both out of contract next summer and have been linked with a possible move to Tottenham.
Alessandro Bastoni, another believed to be on Spurs' radar, also faces an uncertain future at San Siro, leading to Simeone Inzaghi contemplating new recruits in the winter window.
Conte has also been credited with an interest in Sporting Lisbon wing-back Pedro Porro, but the Portuguese club's manager Ruben Amorim has insisted that the 23-year-old will not leave unless his £39.7m release clause is activated.
Oliver Thomas
