Tottenham make transfer bid for Piero Hincapie

Tottenham have made a bid of £25 million for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, the 21-year-old Ecuadorian centre-back who has caught the eye with a number of excellent displays in the Bundesliga. Spurs manager Antonio Conte has been keen to add defensive reinforcements to his squad, and Hincapie will bring much needed depth.

Hincapie began his professional career playing for Independiente del Valle in his home country, and a transfer to Talleres in Argentina followed. From there, after just 14 league games, German club Bayer Leverkusen called and were able to agree a $7 million fee for Hincapie. Spurs will be ready to pay almost four times that to sign the youngster, who already has 24 caps to his name.

The player had an important role in Ecuador's successful World Cup campaign, and Spurs' scouts sent glowing reports back to manager Antonio Conte. With Spurs' defender Clement Lenglet's rather mixed form this season, a January addition to the squad would be welcome at White Hart Lane.

Hincapie's contract in Germany runs until 2026.