Arsenal will exercise the option to sign Piero Hincapie permanently from Bayer Leverkusen this summer in a deal worth approximately £45 million, according to CBS Sports. The Ecuadorian defender, who joined on a season-long loan last July, has a five-year contract already agreed with the club.

Transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed earlier this year that the permanent move was always the plan. Romano said the arrangement mirrors the structure Arsenal used with David Raya, who joined on loan from Brentford before completing a permanent transfer the following summer: "There is already everything signed between Hincapie and Arsenal in terms of contract, a five-year deal. So, it is already signed and completed. Piero Hincapie already feels like an Arsenal player on a permanent transfer."

Hincapie has been a valuable member of the squad during the second half of the season, filling in at left-back and occasionally at centre-back as injuries to Jurrien Timber, Riccardo Calafiori, and others stretched our defensive options throughout the title run-in. His versatility across the back line was exactly the profile Andrea Berta identified when constructing the loan deal last summer.

At 24, Hincapie is entering his peak years and now has a Premier League title to his name. Whether he is a long-term starter at left-back or high-quality depth behind Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly is a question for next season, but the buy option was always going to be exercised. The only question was when the club would make it official.

Hincapie will become the first confirmed signing of what is expected to be a busy summer. CBS Sports report that as many as eight players could leave the club, with Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Ben White, Leandro Trossard, Ethan Nwaneri and Cristhian Mosquera among those whose futures are under discussion. The futures of Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard have also generated speculation, though both remain under contract until 2028.