'Here we go' - West Ham and Brighton beaten to 'football god' free transfer

West Ham and Brighton had been said to be in talks free agent Mats Hummels last month but it now appears that Italian giants AS Roma are set to win the transfer race.

The Hammers are known to be in the market for a centre-back even after Deadline Day with Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd leaving on loan. This week, former Sheffield United man John Egan and ex Liverpool defender Joel Matip have emerged as options.

However, it had been initially thought that the London club was working on bringing 35-year-old Hummels to the London Stadium. The player, who has five Bundesliga titles and a World Cup to his name, left Borussia Dortmund as a free agent this summer.

Sky Sports had reported that West Ham and Brighton had 'made contact' with Hummels. However, it now looks as if AS Roma will be the new destination for the defender.

Taking to social media platform X on Wednesday afternoon, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano said: "Mats Hummels to AS Roma, here we go! Agreement sealed on every detail of the contract.

"Hummels, on his way to Italy right now as flight has been confirmed today ahead of medical tests. Salary around €2m plus add-ons, contract until June 2025."

Hummels made 40 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund last season and regularly showed his class. After one particularly impressive shift against AC Milan in the Champions League last November, the defender was compared to a 'football god' by teammate Edin Terzic.

Terzic said: "He is someone who has seen and experienced everything in football. He played an incredible game. There are no doubt some people who can remember Jürgen Kohler's game in Manchester [Champions League, 1997].

"He was then proclaimed a football god. I don't think Kohler's performance back then was much better than Mats Hummels' performance [against Milan]."