Conte asks Tottenham to sign hugely promising defensive upgrade as Paratici begins studying transfer option

Tottenham Hotspur could reinforce their defence with the signing of Piero Hincapie at the request of Antonio Conte, according to a report.

Hincapie is currently playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and was also a member of Ecuador’s squad at the World Cup. He has already amassed more than 50 appearances for his current club, after also previously representing Independiente del Valle and Talleres.

With his 21st birthday approaching in January, Hincapie has a bright future ahead of him. There is already an expectation that he will be able to reach a higher level than where he currently is with Bayer Leverkusen, who began this season in the Champions League but have dropped into the Europa League.

Hincapie has been named on Chelsea’s shortlist as they search for a left-footed centre-back, for example. There have also been some links with Arsenal, although Tottenham have been in contention for his signature for a while.

Indeed, Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that Tottenham are among the clubs scouting the centre-back.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Spurs head coach Conte has now asked the club to sign Hincapie. In turn, director of football Fabio Paratici is looking into the operation.

It may even be possible to make a move for Hincapie in January. Although, Tottenham may end up having to wait until the summer.

Either way, a deal for the defender could be difficult, since he is under contract in Germany until 2026. That said, the report predicts the financial power of Premier League clubs could give them an advantage in the race for Hincapie’s signature.

With that in mind, Conte could be hoping Tottenham are able to make further progress with any plans to sign Hincapie.

Hincapie could be part of Tottenham future

Although the head coach’s contract is due to expire at the end of the current season, Tottenham are trying to renew his deal. And it seems Conte has some ideas about how they should be evolving their team going forwards.

Some pundits have already been suggesting they need to go into the transfer market for new defenders. Currently, Conte can call upon Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, Ben Davies and Japhet Tanganga in his back three.

However, the left-footed Lenglet is only on loan from Barcelona. Meanwhile, Davies is naturally a left-back, some think Dier is more of a midfielder, and Tanganga has barely been used this season.

Therefore, reinforcements may be required. Tottenham will be keen to keep an eye to the future in terms of who they bring in.

Hincapie seems to be the right kind of profile they should be looking at. He would provide balance to their backline even if Lenglet leaves at the end of the season.

The report has not revealed how much Tottenham might have to pay in order to sign him, though.

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