Tottenham Hotspur have just been handed a boost in their rumoured pursuit of Bundesliga centre-back Piero Hincapie as the existence of a release clause in his contract has been confirmed.
As reports continue to swirl that Cristian Romero has already decided to leave Tottenham this summer, the North London club would have started doing their groundwork on potential options to replace the Argentine.
It was previously revealed that Spurs are keeping an eye on Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie, having been admirers of the Ecuadorian for a long time.
Tottenham are expected to face competition from several big clubs for Hincapie, but the Lilywhites now know that they would not have to negotiate with Bayer Leverkusen to get the deal done.
Piero Hincapie’s release clause revealed amid Tottenham links
Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has now revealed that the 23-year-old’s contract at Leverkusen contains a release clause of €60m (£51m), which will become active this summer.
The journalist makes it clear that a summer transfer is very much on the cards for Hincapie, who has already been the subject of a lot of enquiries.
However, he added that Xabi Alonso’s men are very keen to keep hold of the centre-back despite the growing interest in his services.
Is Hincapie what Spurs need?
Hincapie is a left-footed centre-back and would thus be competing with Micky van de Ven for a place in the starting lineup.
While he might be the direct Cristian Romero replacement, one can understand why Tottenham would want a top-class left-sided defender, given that Ben Davies’ contract expires in June and Van de Ven has been blighted by injuries.
However, Hincapie’s release clause will likely attract a number of suitors and make a deal very difficult for Tottenham Hotspur to complete.