‘Tottenham are eyeing’ - Transfer expert claims Paratici now wants ‘highly talented’ defender

Tottenham are eyeing a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen defender Piero Hincapie, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Antonio Conte is renowned for his free-flowing football which utilises wing-backs who are able to press high up the pitch. This approach requires a strong back three to hold the fort, whilst the wide men bomb forward.

The drawback of the 3-4-2-1 formation is that it requires more centre-backs than usual, so this can be an issue when one of the defensive options sustains an injury.

This was clearly a problem for Conte in Spurs’ 2-0 loss to Wolves at the weekend, as Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez struggled in their back-three positions, illustrated by their respective 6.8 SofaScore ratings.

With the Italian seemingly not keen on Joe Rodon and with Eric Dier and Japhet Tanganga out injured, Spurs are currently short of reliable centre-back options.

According to O’Rourke, Spurs are looking at a potential move for Ecuador defender Hincapie.

Taking to Twitter, he claimed: “Tottenham are eyeing a summer move for Bayer Leverkusen and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie. Spurs will face competition from the likes of AC Milan, Roma, Napoli, Sevilla and Zenit in the 20-year-old centre-back. #THFC #Bayer04”.

The 20-year-old has nailed down a place in a Leverkusen team sitting third in the Bundesliga, having played the full 90 minutes in the last nine games for which he has been available.

The club’s managing director Rudi Völler described the young defender as “a ball winner, intelligent and technically gifted”, adding that he’s “a highly talented player”.

Hincapie’s ability to play either centre-back or left-back would provide Conte with some much-needed defensive depth, so this could prove to be a fantastic signing