Atletico Madrid are looking to rebuild their defence this summer, and it appears at least one of the options they want to bring in will be a younger option. One of the central defenders they have set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie.
The 22-year-old Ecuadorian defender has been in inspired form this season for the Bundesliga champions, and Diario AS say that Atletico have been in contact with Leverkusen regarding Hincapie. Although it was just an initial sounding out, Atletico wondered about a price of somewhere below €30m, but were firmly rejected by die Werkself. Hincapie is a long-term target for Atletico, although now he is much more on the radar of Europe’s top clubs.
A complicating factor is the fact that Leverkusen have promised only to let one of their star players go this summer, and retain the rest of Xabi Alonso’s key players this summer, allowing him to build on their success next season.
The news that Atletico have been in touch over Hincapie, following recent links to Jean-Clair Todibo of Nice and Cristhian Mosquera certainly suggests that Los Colchoneros want a younger defender capable of commanding their backline for years to come. Of course with that youth comes a higher price tag.