Arsenal have officially secured the signing of Piero Hincapie from Bayer Leverkusen for 52 million euros, activating a pre-agreed buy option at the conclusion of a loan spell. The Ecuador international had already put pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Gunners, marking the club first piece of summer business ahead of the new season.
The centre-back impressed throughout his time at the Emirates and Mikel Arteta identified him as a long-term pillar of the Arsenal defence. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed the deal is fully sealed, noting a prior agreement between the two clubs had been in place since earlier in the season.