Real Sociedad facing Premier League competition for Brighton defender

The imminent return of Nayef Aguerd to West Ham means that Real Sociedad are on the hunt to sign a new central defender. There will be money to spend on a replacement due to Martin Zubimendi’s move to Arsenal, and they are set to go back to shopping in the Premier League.

Sergio Francisco will officially take change of La Real from July, with Imanol Alguacil set for an official departure on that day due to the expiration of his contract. And his squad will need to be significantly addressed in order to improve on last season’s major disappointment across all competitions.

Centre-back is one of the most important areas to address considering how impressive Aguerd was during his time at the Reale Arena, and in terms of a replacement, El Diario Vasco (via CaughtOffside) have reported that La Real have set their sights on Brighton and Hove Albion defender Igor Julio.

Real Sociedad pursuit of Igor Julio will not be easy

Igor is expected to leave Brighton this summer due to a lack of prominence, and La Real are interested in bringing him to La Liga. But they are expected to face significant competition, with Premier League sides Leeds United, Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers also keen on the Brazilian defender’s signature.

Igor could be a top signing for La Real, and as a left-sided central defender, he would be a stylistically good replacement for Aguerd. The money will be there to negotiate with Brighton, who are unlikely to make it overly difficult for a deal to be done during the summer transfer window.

However, they will need to be aware of the interest being shown from other clubs, as this will make an operation more complicated to pull off.