Following the signing of defensive midfielder Waturo Endo from Stuttgart for £16.2m, Liverpool are reportedly prioritising a move for a new left-sided centre-back.
This has also been echoed by The Athletic, which has suggested that a new addition would ideally be a young player (aged 23 or under) who they can work with and develop, won't be required to come straight into the side, and will preferably be left-sided (the club has no left-footed senior centre-backs).
There is a promising talent in the Bundesliga that ticks all these boxes and is attracting the attention of Jurgen Klopp.
What’s the latest Liverpool transfer news?
According to Dominik Schneider of Fussball Transfers, Liverpool are one of the several clubs that have expressed an interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie.
The 21-year-old is currently nursing an injury, but his return is set to coincide with transfer deadline day on 1st September, which could make him available for the Merseysiders.
Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…
However, West Ham United and RB Leipzig are also keenly tracking Hincapie.
After missing out on Micky van de Ven, who joined Tottenham Hotspur, and Sporting defender Goncalo Inacio, who penned a fresh four-year deal with his boyhood club, Hincapie has emerged as one of the main targets.
Would Piero Hincapie be a good signing for Liverpool?
The south American sensation has been at Bayer Leverkusen since 2021 and has made 76 appearances in all competitions.
Upon his arrival, Simon Rolfes, a member of the club’s hierarchy, eulogised over his talent and said:
“We're very happy to have acquired a young, but confident central defender.
"We've had our eye on him for a while. His performances against absolute world-class players at the Copa America confirmed to us what an exciting future he has.”
Last season, Hincapie started 27 Bundesliga games, averaging 2.5 clearances and 1.7 tackles per game, and won 56% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
Most importantly, the 27-cap international is an astutely technical defender, who is comfortable playing out from the back – this is mirrored through his rank within the best 2% in Europe’s top five leagues mong his positional peers for progressive carries per 90, as well as the top 15% for successful take-ons per 90.
Once again, Rolfes has showered Hincapie in praise, lauding him as a player with “big potential.”
If the £34k-per-week titan made the switch from Germany to England, it would be reminiscent of Ibrahima Konate’s journey.
Two years ago, the Frenchman joined Liverpool and started 11 Premier League games in his debut season, acting as a deputy to Joel Matip. Now, Konate has begun 15 of the last 17 domestic matches, and Klopp feels he is cemented as the first-team partner for Virgil Van Dijk.
Similarly to Hincapie, Konate is also a relatively young defender and arrived at Anfield as a U23. At this time, Klopp described him as someone “incredibly talented” with “outstanding” potential, which he is well on the way to fulfilling.
The former Leipzig prodigy sits within the highest 11% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles and successful take-ons per 90 over the last 365 days to show how he is flourishing in his more prominent role.
Therefore, Liverpool must accelerate their attempts to sign Hincapie to repeat their effective Konate trick.
