Xabi Alonso gives the OK to Arsenal and the center-back's transfer is imminent

Arsenal has signed Piero Hincapié to strengthen its defense, and Xabi Alonso knows him very well from his time at Bayer Leverkusen. According to information from Rodra, "Piero Hincapié is traveling to London today to become a new Arsenal player.  Arteta called Xabi Alonso to ask him about the player, whom Xabi loves."

Therefore, Xabi Alonso's opinion would have been crucial for Mikel Arteta, a coach who values his compatriot highly. Hincapié is young, he will turn 24 in January, and he can still improve a lot in the coming seasons. His signing is a success for Arsenal.

A few months ago, some media outlets reported that Xabi Alonso wanted to sign him for Real Madrid, but the club didn't try. If they had gone for the transfer, the player would very likely have chosen to keep working alongside Xabi. However, the white team already has 5 defenders for this season.

Konaté's signing

Meanwhile, we can't forget that Real Madrid is focused on signing Ibrahima Konaté as a free agent in 2026. The Liverpool defender keeps refusing to renew and would be willing to join the white team next year. In fact, they've already had talks through intermediaries. 

At Real Madrid, they see this signing as a market opportunity, because they avoid negotiating with Liverpool. They only have to reach an agreement with the player regarding salary and signing bonus. In addition, he's one of the best defenders currently on the market.

The youth academy is there

Another thing that could have affected the lack of interest in Hincapié is that Real Madrid likes 3 youth academy players. These are Joan Martínez, Diego Aguado, and Jacobo Ramón, who has started his time at Como very well. All of them could have a future in the first team.

There will be a lot of competition in the Madrid squad and that's a good thing for everyone. However, if Raúl Asencio still isn't considered by the coach, it's expected that he'll end up leaving in the summer 2026 transfer window.