West Ham United have now made a late approach to sign a 37-cap international defender, as an alternative to Chelsea's Axel Disasi.
West Ham eyeing late move for centre-back
West Ham are eager to bring in a new centre-back before the February 2nd transfer deadline, but a deal for Disasi is starting to look more unlikely, as it has been revealed the Frenchman would prefer to move to AC Milan.
The Hammers have been scouring the market for defenders, with a bid recently being made for Southampton's Taylor Harwood-Bellis, which was knocked back by the Championship club.
Rob Green has made it clear just how important it is to strengthen at centre-back before the deadline, saying: “They’ve just lost (Lucas) Paqueta, but they need to use that money.
West Ham's Lucas Paqueta-1
"If it goes on Harwood-Bellis, then he’d be an improvement to the XI. The key areas have been strikers and centre-halves. They’ve addressed the striker issue; now they need the centre-half."
However, having seemingly missed out on Harwood-Bellis, the Irons may have to move on to other targets, and they have now joined the race for a different Championship defender.
That is according to reporter Alex Crook, who recently took to X to claim West Ham have now made contact over a deal for Hull City defender John Egan, as they look to bring in a new defender before deadline day.
However, promotion-hopefuls Ipswich Town have also shown an interest in the Irishman, who has 37 international caps to his name, so there is set to be competition for his signature.
Bologna's Torbjorn Heggem fights for the ball with Fiorentina's Niccolo Fortini Related
[West Ham make proposal to sign "extraordinary" defender with swap deal possible](https://www.footballfancast.com/west-ham-transfer-proposal-niccolo-fortini-walker-peters-magassa/ "West Ham make proposal to sign "extraordinary" defender with swap deal possible")
The Hammers could be set for a busy end to the window...
"Leader" Egan could be solid signing for West Ham
Speaking about the 33-year-old's future at the MKM Stadium, Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic said: "John's truly a leader with a lot of experience, and there is no surprise for me that he has some offers, so we will see, but if a player decides to go, you must respect that."
Not only does the former Sheffield United man have leadership qualities, but he also has experience in the Premier League, making 73 appearances in the competition during his time with the Blades.
Sheffield United finished ninth in the 2019-20 Premier League season, with the Cork-born defender making 36 appearances, which suggests he would be capable of making the step-up to the top flight.
Egan has been a key player for Hull this season too, averaging 6.5 clearances per game in the Championship, the second-highest number in the squad, but it is unlikely he would be a long-term solution for West Ham at the back, having turned 33 in October.