Arsenal have completed the permanent signing of Piero Hincapié from Bayer Leverkusen, activating the option to buy written into last summer's loan deal. The fee is reported at around £34.5 million (roughly €40 million) plus add-ons, with Leverkusen retaining a 10 percent sell-on clause. The 24-year-old Ecuador international has signed a five-year contract, keeping him at the Emirates Stadium until 2031. The move was confirmed on 25 June, with the paperwork completed in time for the new season.
Arsenal brought Hincapié in on a season-long loan in September 2025 specifically to test him before committing permanently, and he answered every question asked of him. He made 39 appearances in all competitions, starting 20 Premier League games as Arsenal won the title while conceding just 27 goals in the league — the meanest defensive record in the division. He also started in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, which Arsenal lost on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Manager Mikel Arteta was blunt about what won him over: "He's a warrior. He's going to bring such intensity, physicality, and emotion to the team as well. He's quality on the ball — he's a player who is super keen."
For Leverkusen, this is a significant loss. Hincapié made 166 appearances for the club and was a key figure in their unbeaten run to the 2023-24 Bundesliga title, their first ever. Sporting director Simon Rolfes described his time in Leverkusen colours as "a fantastic success story," saying the defender had matured into a top international player. With the club needing to balance the books, keeping hold of him was never realistic once Arsenal's interest turned serious. Leverkusen are now looking at the market for a defender with a similar profile — comfortable at both centre-back and full-back — rather than a direct like-for-like replacement.
Hincapié's form through the loan season made the permanent deal an easy call. He scored his first Arsenal goal in a 2-2 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers in February, and picked up the club's Player of the Month award twice, in February and again in April. Of his minutes on the pitch, roughly two-thirds came at left-back and the rest at centre-back, underlining the versatility that made him useful throughout a long, taxing campaign in which Arsenal were competing on multiple fronts.
That versatility is exactly why he fits so well at Arsenal. He has spent the year competing with Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly for the left-back spot while also being trusted as cover in the middle of defence, giving Arteta a defender who can slot into more than one role without a drop in quality. With the title now won and Hincapié's future settled, Arsenal go into next season with a defensive unit that has already proven it can go all the way, rather than one still bedding in.
The switch from loan to permanent status changes little about how Hincapié will be used — he already looked first-choice or close to it for large spells of last season. What it does is remove any uncertainty about his future, letting Arteta plan his back line around him for years rather than one season at a time.