The name Piero Hincapié will mean very little to most Newcastle United fans, and yet it’s one they might get to know better in the near future.
The young centre-back, still only 19 years of age, already has two caps for Ecuador, and has caught the eye of the Magpies with his performances.
Swapping Independiente del Valle in his home country for CA Talleres in Argentina last August, Hincapié played almost every minute of football for his new team, helping them reach the quarter-finals of the Copa de la Liga.
Along the way, Real Betis, looking for an Aissa Mandi replacement, took note, as did Newcastle United and Champions League side Atlético Madrid, according to Diario de Sevilla.
They state the former of those three ‘contacted his entourage to find out the situation of a player, who is also in the sights’ of Diego Simeone’s side, ‘with a view to the future’, and Steve Bruce’s men.
While there’s not a lot of detail regarding Newcastle’s interest, with almost all of it focusing on Betis, it does show that the Premier League side aren’t limiting themselves to Europe for their reinforcements.
After all, there are always great deals to be done in South America, just as long as you can get those players a work permit.
