Overview
- Arsenal confirmed on Thursday that they have activated the purchase option in Hincapié’s loan from Bayer Leverkusen and will register the permanent deal from July 1.
- The 24-year-old has signed a reported five-year contract running to 2031 and will join Arsenal for pre-season after finishing his World Cup commitments with Ecuador.
- Most outlets report the fee at about £34.5m–£35m plus add-ons, though at least one source published a conflicting €52m figure, leaving the exact financial terms inconsistent in media coverage.
- Hincapié made roughly 39 appearances across all competitions in 2025–26 and was a key, left-footed defensive option as Arsenal won the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.
- By triggering the club-level option Arsenal now holds priority control of Hincapié’s future, meaning any later interest from clubs such as Real Madrid would require negotiating with the Gunners.