Liverpool are reportedly set to make a decision soon as to the potential January transfer pursuit of Piero Hincapie.
The Bayer Leverkusen defender’s agent Manuel Sierra publicly stated last week that the Reds ‘were interested’ in the 21-year-old during the summer but instead opted to prioritise their midfield rebuild.
However, according to Football Insider, Jurgen Klopp’s side are unlikely to go back in for him during the winter transfer window, with a belief that the club won’t fork out for the minimum fee of €50m (£43.2m) that the Ecuador international would yield.
Hincapie has had a surprisingly peripheral involvement for Leverkusen so far this season, starting only one match in all competitions, although he was ruled out of the team’s first three Bundesliga games due to suspension (Transfermarkt).
The youngster is adept at getting the ball up the pitch and carrying out his core defensive duties, as illustrated by figures from FBref.
He ranks among the top 6% of centre-backs in Europe’s five main leagues over the past 12 months for progressive carries per game (1.59), and among the top 11% for tackles per match (2.24).
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Also, he’s predominantly left-footed, a trait that Liverpool are seeking in prospective recruits for that area of the pitch (Football Insider).
The Reds might possibly be put off by Hincapie’s asking price and lack of involvement for Xabi Alonso’s side of late, but they’re not in a position to simply disregard him as a transfer target for January, as circumstances in the meantime could possibly leave them desperately needing a centre-back by then.
This particular rumour mightn’t go away for some time yet.
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