Igor Julio: West Ham in talks for Brighton defender as Crystal Palace negotiations collapse | OneFootball

Talks over the Brazilian’s future will likely go down to the wire on Deadline Day

West Ham are in talks over a season-long loan deal for Brighton defender Igor Julio, after his move to Crystal Palace collapsed.

The Eagles were unable to offer him assurances over playing time.

Igor had been set to join Palace as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Marc Guehi, but the Brazilian defender has now entered negotiations with West Ham after deciding against signing for Oliver Glasner’s side.

Talks are underway for the 27-year-old, though nothing is advanced, and any deal is likely to be completed towards the end of Monday night’s deadline.

West Ham are in the market for a centre-back, with Nayef Aguerd having travelled to France to complete a medical ahead of a move to Marseille, which will cost the Ligue 1 side in the region of £20million.

The Hammers have also been in talks with Chelsea over a deal for Axel Disasi, who spent last season on loan at Aston Villa.

Igor has struggled to nail down a regular starting berth at Brighton since joining from Fiorentina in 2023.

He made 13 Premier League appearances under Fabian Hurzeler last term before suffering a hamstring injury in January, which ruled him out of action for four months.

Graham Potter identified centre-back as an area in need of improvement at the start of the summer, but the club had to sanction departures before pursuing any potential targets.

West Ham could sign more than one centre-back before the window closes and have also been linked with a move for Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell.