West Ham United have held talks with Sao Paulo centre-back Luizao over a potential move to the London Stadium in January.
This is according to the reliable insider ExWHUemployee, who has been speaking amid the World Cup break on The West Ham Way podcast.
It has not been the start to the 2022/23 campaign that David Moyes will have been hoping for, as they break for the World Cup slumped in 16th spot.
Despite being just 20 years old, the Brazilian has already made 26 appearances in all competitions for Sao Paulo this season.
And it seems as if the Hammers could be moving closer to signing the centre-back, with his manager already expecting him to depart in January.
Ex said: “Luizao, a Brazilian defender from Sao Paulo, has actually had talks with the club about joining us, with his contract set to expire.
“Now, West Ham would have to pay compensation for him as he’s only 20 years of age; when you’re under a certain age, you have to pay compensation for taking players when their contracts have run out. But we are in talks.”
TIF Thoughts on Ex’s comments…
Despite their poor results, West Ham can boast one of the Premier League’s toughest defences with only Newcastle United, Arsenal and Manchester City conceding fewer goals thus far.
Do West Ham need a busy January window?
Yes
No
So it is apparent defence is probably not the main area that needs improvement over the January window, though there is no harm in planning for the future.
The Hammers currently do not have a centre-back under the age of 26, so bringing in Luizao would provide the youngster with the opportunity to develop under the wings of the likes of the experienced Kurt Zouma.