West Ham sign Brighton's Li Mengwen on loan

Li Mengwen began her career at Chinese club Jiangsu

West Ham have signed Brighton defender Li Mengwen on loan for the rest of the season.

The China right-back will bring much-needed depth to West Ham’s defence after they lost Risa Shimizu to Manchester City this summer.

Mengwen was also in talks over a potential move to Crystal Palace but arrived for a medical at West Ham earlier on Friday.

She joined Brighton in 2023, going on to make 11 appearances, having previously spent a season on loan at Paris St-Germain.

"I'm delighted to be joining West Ham United," said Mengwen. "It has felt like a bit of a rollercoaster over the last 24 hours as this decision happened very quickly, but now that I am here, I am so excited.

"I feel very proud to be a Chinese player playing in the Women's Super League, and I'm truly honoured to be the first Chinese player to play for West Ham United."

On Thursday, West Ham also announced the signing of Finland international Oona Siren on a two-year deal and will attempt to do more business before Friday’s 23:00 BST deadline.