West Ham in talks to hijack Crystal Palace for £15m "animal" to replace Aguerd

da heads bet： West Ham United have now held talks over signing a £15m “animal” as a replacement for Nayef Aguerd, who is heading to Marseille.

West Ham eyeing defender to replace Aguerd

da wazamba： Despite Graham Potter’s desire to keep hold of the centre-back, Aguerd now looks set to complete a move to Ligue 1, having refused to take part in Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

In fairness, West Ham didn’t look like they missed the Moroccan defender at all, keeping a clean sheet for the first time this season, with Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos being given the nod at centre-back.

However, Potter will be a little short on options when Aguerd departs, meaning work has now started on bringing in a replacement, with Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell on the radar.

However, another transfer target from much closer to home is now emerging, with Fabrizio Romano taking to X to reveal the Hammers are now “exploring a move” for Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Igor Julio.

There is no agreement in place just yet, but talks over a deal for the Brazilian have already taken place, with Romano also confirming Aguerd is set to sign for Marseille.

It is unclear what sort of fee Brighton would be looking for, but the Seagulls are known to have forked out £15m to sign the 27-year-old from Fiorentina back in 2023, while Crystal Palace are also heavily linked with a deal which could drive the price up.

The Eagles are searching for a replacement for captain Marc Guehi, who is strongly linked with a deadline day move to Liverpool, and it now appears like a two-way race between the London teams for Julio’s signature.

"Animal" Igor could be good fit in Potter's system

While he has struggled to do so, Potter has attempted to implement a possession-based style of football since his arrival at the London Stadium, and the Brighton defender could be an ideal fit for the West Ham boss.

Over the past year, the former Fiorentina man has vastly outperformed Kilman in terms of passes attempted, progressive passes and pass-completion rate per 90.

Average per 90

Max Kilman

Igor Julio

Passes attempted

52.26

68.37

Progressive passes

2.96

4.59

Pass completion %

87.1%

91.9%

Former Brighton and Hove Albion coach Inigo Calderón has also praised the Brighton ace for his passing ability, saying:

“The first thing that comes to mind is that Igor is an animal, a centre back I really like for many reasons. He wins duels and has a good footwork for releasing the ball, both passing and dribbling.”

There may be some concerns over the fact Igor is a bit-part player at Brighton, having made just 13 appearances in the Premier League last season, but he could be a good fit in a Potter system, so it is worth taking a chance on the defender.