Defender Piero Hincapie has made his loan move from Bayer Leverkusen to Arsenal permanent.

The Gunners have paid a fee of around £34.5m (40m euros) for the Ecuador international who initially joined on loan last summer.

The 24-year-old, who made 39 appearances in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s side as they won the Premier League, has signed a contract until 2031.

Leverkusen said:, external “The conditions for the purchase option were met and defender Hincapie will therefore continue his career with the London club in the Premier League in the coming years.”

Hincapie is at the World Cup with Ecuador, who face Germany on Thursday (21:00 BST).