(Credit: Imago)

Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

Wed 18 March 2026 6:45, UK

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West Ham United are set for talks with Chelsea over a permanent deal for centre-back Axel Disasi, sources have told Football Insider.

The Hammers have already decided that they are keen to explore the possibility of a permanent move for their loanee, but they will not be capable of matching the £38million that the Blues paid to sign the Frenchman back in 2023.

The East Londoners are hopeful of being able to negotiate a way past that hurdle with Chelsea, but sources have also made it clear that a deal will only be possible if they retain their Premier League status.

Disasi has already become a clear part of West Ham’s plans for next season just eight games into his loan spell, such is the impression that he has made at the London Stadium so far.

Chelsea receptive to West Ham sale

Former West Ham scout Mick Brown told Football Insider back in February that Chelsea will be happy to sell Disasi to his former club at the end of the season, as there is still no way back for him at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old hasn’t featured in a competitive game for his parent club since the early stages of last season, as he also spent time on loan at Aston Villa in 2024-25.

The defender found himself as part of the ‘bomb squad’ under Enzo Maresca, and his situation has not drastically altered since Liam Rosenior took the reins in the dugout.

Chelsea are more than happy to find a deal that can see them get the former Monaco off their wage bill for good, and they now have a willing buyer in West Ham.

However, unless the stumbling block of a potential fee can be overcome, it appears that it will be difficult for an agreement to be reached, given the Hammers’ current situation.

Nuno Espirito Santo will be hopeful that a cut-price deal could be struck, but he will be reliant on his club’s transfer chiefs in that regard.

How much have the Hammers already paid for Axel Disasi?

West Ham may only have Disasi on loan until the end of the season at the moment, but they have already had to pay their London counterparts a fee as part of that initial deal.

Irons insider Sam Whetstone revealed via his X account at the start of February that Nuno’s side have already shelled out a £1.68m loan fee to Chelsea in order to secure his services temporarily.

They are also covering the total cost of Disasi’s £80,000-a-week wages, meaning this is far from a cheap loan deal for West Ham at the moment.

The final expenditure to bring Disasi in is likely to stand at around the £3.5m mark, but that figure will be set to grow significantly if a permanent deal ends up going through ahead of next season.