Igor Julio could return to Brighton as details of January bid emerge at West Ham
West Ham could soon part ways with Igor Julio just halfway through his loan spell from Brighton.
Igor joined West Ham on deadline day as the Hammers went on a desperate search for a centre-back option late on in the summer window.
Graham Potter and Co. allowed Nayef Aguerd to leave for Marseille, leaving a sizable gap in the squad at the London Stadium.
Igor turned down a move to Crystal Palace to join the Irons, but things haven’t really worked out for the Brazilian in East London.
It looks as if a permanent deal could be in the pipeline as January moves closer, something that could spell the end of the road for Igor.
West Ham could complete January deal for Tiago Gabriel
Nuno Espirito Santo could be set for a sizable winter spend in E20 after what has been a mixed start to life with the Hammers.
His business could start early with a move for Lecce centre-back Tiago Gabriel at West Ham.
The 20-year-old has already emerged as a target for the claret and blue outfit, with Calciomercato reporting that a £15.8million bid has already been rejected.
The Serie A outfit rate the Portugal under-21 international at £22m, with Inter, Atalanta and Roma also interested in his signature.
West Ham could maintain their interest and push forward to land Gabriel with a view to making him a long-term regular at the London Stadium.
Signing a young centre-back in January would likely result in another defensive exit, with Igor’s return to Brighton potentially making the most sense.
Igor Julio could return to Brighton in January
The Brighton loanee has featured across just 13 Premier League minutes for the Irons, with other options preferred ahead of the number five.
Max Kilman has been a regular under Nuno, and that doesn’t look like it’s changing, even if someone like Gabriel is to come in.
The Portuguese youngster would cost upwards of £20m and at that price, would likely command regular first-team minutes.
That would only cause Igor to fall even further down the pecking order and somehow pick up even fewer chances in claret and blue.
Brighton and the defender are unlikely to be happy with this arrangement, so a loan cancellation could be the right option for all parties this winter.
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