Arsenal are about to sign their very own Cristian Romero who was compared to Lionel Messi

Arsenal look set to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Piero Hincapie after hijacking Tottenham's pursuit of the centre-back. And the 23-year-old was compared to Lionel Messi last year after previously being told he is similar to Spurs defender Cristian Romero.

Arsenal have enjoyed a fruitful summer transfer window after landing a host of talented stars. The Gunners have brought in Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, Cristhian Mosquera and Noni Madueke, with Eberechi Eze joining them at the Emirates at the weekend as his arrival was announced ahead of his team's 5-0 thrashing of Leeds.

Arsenal aren't done yet in the transfer market, with Hincapie next on their wish list.

The defender has reportedly told Leverkusen chiefs he wants to leave the club before this summer's transfer window closes, despite the fact he only signed a new contract last December.

Arsenal could prise the player away from Germany if they meet his £52million release clause, but the north London giants want to reduce that figure to a more realistic market value.

Hincapie, who has already been capped 46 times by Ecuador, joined Leverkusen from Argentinian side CA Talleres in August 2021.

He has gone on to make 166 appearances for the German side and was a key part of the team that won the Bundesliga title under Xavi Alonso during the 2023/24 campaign.

And after Hincapie signed his latest contract at the BayArena, Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes paid him one of the highest compliments a footballer can receive as he gushed: "Piero Hincapie joined us in 2021 as a 19-year-old talent. But even then you could see how confident he is in his abilities.

"Today, Piero is in the league of world-class professionals like Lionel Messi or Mo Salah. He has earned respect worldwide."

Hincapie also revealed during an interview with Scouted Football a few years ago that he had been compared to Romero while he was still playing for Independiente del Valle in his homeland.

"My brother tells me I'm a lot like him, I like him a lot," the centre-back explained.

He added: "On Fridays, when we travelled by bus for seven or eight hours to play for Independiente del Valle, I watched a lot of videos of [Carlos] Puyol and Sergio Ramos.

"I watched the videos so I wouldn't get bored on the bus and that's when I realised that I really liked Puyol. He had a special way of playing - perhaps less technical than Ramos - but he was a leader and captain. One of the best centre-backs I've ever seen."