Schalke in talks with Brighton's Brazilian centre-half Igor

The 28-year-old central defender is in talks with the Royal Blues regarding a move to the Bundesliga.

Photo: Dan Istitene/Getty Images.

Sky Germany are reporting that FC Schalke 04 are interested in pursuing Brighton & Hove Albion's Igor Julio.

The English media first picked up on the story – now the Royal Blues have already made contact with the centre-half.

Should an agreement be reached, Schalke would like to sign the Brazilian on loan with an option to buy.

The 28-year-old has been frustrated by the lack of game time under Fabian Hurzeler, playing just five games in total last season.

However, negotiations are still ongoing, and the outcome is currently completely open whether Igor moves to Gelsenkirchen or not.

Other clubs, according to Transfermarkt.com, are also linked with the defender such as VfB Stuttgart and Cruzeiro in his native Brazil.