West Ham United eye Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio | OneFootball

West Ham United are in talks to sign Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

They are set to be without Aguerd, who is closing in on a move to Marseille, and they want to bring Igor to the London Stadium.

The 27-year-old has yet to play for the Seagulls in the Premier League this term, but Hammers manager Graham Potter appears to be a fan.

The Brazilian made 16 appearances across all competitions last term and was involved in action in the League Cup game against Oxford United on Wednesday.

He can also feature at left-back and as a defensive midfielder due to his abilities on the ball, and he could be a solid signing for West Ham.

The Brighton defender knows how to play out from the back, hold on to the ball, play the right passes and dribble his way out of trouble.

He has been unable to break into the Brighton starting XI since joining from Fiorentina in 2023, but he will fancy his chances of forcing his way into the Hammers line-up.

West Ham have until 7.00 pm today to reach an agreement to bring the South American to London, and the Seagulls may want to sign a replacement first.

The Hammers finally picked up their first victory of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign yesterday, leaving it late to secure a 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest.

They return to action after the international break when they host Tottenham Hotspur on September 13, and Potter could do with new additions in place by then.

West Ham have signed Mads Hermansen, Callum Wilson, Kyle Walker-Peters, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa this summer.

One or two more quality players could join today, and fans will be hoping they can help improve the team.