The West Ham Way can reveal that the club are in talks to sign Brazilian defender Luizão from Sao Paulo.

Our man-in-the-know ExWHUEmployee revealed on The West Ham Way Podcast that the deal, although not done yet, would require the club to pay compensation for acquiring the services of the 20 year old defender.

There are some obstacles to overcome to land his signature however, with a main one being competition from others. Fulham are believed to be very keen on the player with other clubs also interested.

A work permit would also need to be obtained and that could potentially be a stumbling block on the potential deal, although West Ham are continuing to push ahead in the hope that an agreement can get over the line.

The young highly rated left-sided centre-back has made a total of only 14 appearances for Sao Paolo to date in Brazils Serie A, however his performances have caught the eye and now Rob Newman and his team are eager to bring his talents to East London.

Newman and his scouting network have been looking at players in Brazil of late and Luizao is one in particular that has drawn his attention.

ExWHUEmployee will be keeping fans up to date on the progress of this potential deal as it develops in the coming weeks.