Axel Disasi in a West Ham shirt
Danny Wright
Sat 31 January 2026 13:34, UK
West Ham are eyeing up a late move to sign Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on loan.
Nuno Espirito Santo has bolstered his attack this winter by signing strikers Pablo and Taty Castellanos at the start of January, before adding Adama Traore earlier this week.
The Irons have also landed Keiber Lamadrid on loan from Deportivo La Guaira.
Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme, Callum Marshall, Andy Irving, Guido Rodriguez, Lucas Paqueta, James Ward-Prowse and Igor Julio have all left the London Stadium either permanently or on loan, but Nuno is yet to do any business to strengthen his defence.
And that seems to be where Disasi comes in.
Nuno Espirito Santo looks dejected
Credit: Imago
West Ham’s Axel Disasi deal looks to have derailed
Fabrizio Romano reported on Thursday that West Ham are close to signing Disasi on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season.
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However, there’s a big problem for the Irons.
According to Marca journalist Matteo Moretto, AC Milan are now pushing to sign the 27-year-old France international, who hasn’t made a single senior appearance for Chelsea this term.
Moretto claims that while the Hammers were in advanced talks to sign the ex-Monaco centre-back, the deal has not progressed any further and looks to have derailed.
On Saturday afternoon, Romano added to that, saying that West Ham‘s offer to Disasi is still on the table as the Chelsea outcast decides on his future.
Axel Disasi playing for Aston Villa looking concerned
credit: Imago
AC Milan seem to be the favourites to seal a deal right now, with just over 48 hours to go until the winter transfer window slams shut.
Why have West Ham left it this late?
It’s been a busy winter at the London Stadium.
It’s also been quite a positive one.
Although the Irons are still in the Premier League relegation zone, Nuno has managed to fend off calls for him to be sacked by overseeing back-to-back wins against Tottenham and Sunderland.
Hopes of survival are improving. However, after bidding farewell to Paqueta this week, it remains to be seen how the Hammers will react to a star player leaving.
Rank Club Goals conceded
1 West Ham 45
2 Burnley 44
3= Bournemouth 43
3= Wolves 43
5 Leeds 38
25-26 Premier League stats.
Julio has also had his loan terminated, and he’s gone back to Brighton, meaning that Nuno is down one defensive option ahead of West Ham’s trip to Chelsea on Saturday evening.
Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo have been Nuno’s recent centre-back pairing, but this is still a side that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in the league since August.
They’ve done a lot of business with attackers, but stats show that area isn’t the main concern for the Irons, who have conceded more goals (45) than anyone else in the Premier League.
Stay up to date this winter with our West Ham transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at the London Stadium, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.