Chelsea scouts have been monitoring Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, with Fabrizio Romano tipping the player as one who has a chance of a big move in 2023.
The talented young Ecuador international has impressed in the Bundesliga in recent times, and looks like he’d potentially be a quality addition to this struggling Chelsea squad as they look to continue rebuilding under new owner Todd Boehly.
Writing in the Daily Briefing exclusively for CaughtOffside, Romano confirmed Chelsea’s interest in Hincapie, but said it’s not particularly advanced for the moment.
The reporter added that Tottenham and other European clubs such as Inter Milan and Napoli have also been keeping tabs on the 20-year-old’s progress, so it could end up being quite the battle for his signature if he does move as expected next year.
Commenting on links with Chelsea, Romano said: “Piero Hincapie has been scouted by many important clubs including Chelsea, Inter, Napoli, Tottenham and Spanish clubs too.
“But it’s about scouting and following the player, there’s nothing advanced about negotiations at this stage. He’s a very good, interesting centre-back and he has a chance to move in 2023.”
Romano also recently revealed Chelsea’s interest in Josko Gvardiol, so it could be that Hincapie is another talented young defender being kept in mind by the west London giants.
Graham Potter would certainly do well to think about long-term replacements for veteran Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, while Kalidou Koulibaly is not the youngest either, and Wesley Fofana has had issues with injuries since moving to Stamford Bridge.