Arsenal hint at permanent Piero Hincapie transfer in retained list
Arsenal have strongly hinted at completing a permanent £45m deal for Piero Hincapie after omitting the on-loan defender from their official end-of-season released list.
The South American spent the previous campaign on loan from Bayer Leverkusen and quickly established himself as Mikel Arteta’s preferred option at left-back.
His impressive form culminated in a starting role during the recent Champions League final defeat by Paris St-Germain.
The Gunners had been widely expected to trigger their option to buy the versatile 24-year-old, and his absence from Thursday’s departure announcements suggests an official agreement is imminent.
Significant departures in north London
The club’s retained list confirmed that 15 players across the senior and youth teams will leave when their contracts expire on 30 June.
When Arsenal published a similar document last year, loan signings such as Raheem Sterling were explicitly confirmed to be returning to their parent clubs.
The lack of such clarification regarding the former Leverkusen man points heavily towards a prolonged stay at Emirates Stadium.
McCabe and Mead among major exits
Alongside the men’s squad updates, several high-profile figures from the women’s team are confirmed to be moving on.
Arsenal Women legends Beth Mead and Katie McCabe will depart, with the latter having already agreed a controversial switch to London rivals Chelsea.
Meanwhile, promising academy prospect Josh Nichols is set to join Croatian outfit NK Kustosija after penning an emotional farewell to supporters.
Club pays tribute to departing players
The north London side also revealed that discussions remain ongoing with Australian forward Caitlin Foord and two academy scholars regarding potential contract extensions.
In an official statement addressing the raft of summer exits, the club expressed their gratitude to those moving on to new chapters.
We thank all the players leaving us for their contributions to the club.
You will always be part of the Arsenal family and we wish you all the best of health and happiness in your futures.