Overview
- Reports on Sunday say Chelsea have opened formal talks with Crystal Palace and have agreed personal terms in principle with France centre-back Maxence Lacroix.
- Crystal Palace value Lacroix at roughly £55 million and are using recent centre-back sales as a price benchmark, leaving the fee as the main hurdle to a transfer.
- Lacroix, 26, has Premier League experience and World Cup exposure and is understood to prefer a move to Chelsea, who see him as a long-term fit for Xabi Alonso’s defensive rebuild.
- Arsenal and other top clubs have been linked with interest, but multiple outlets report Chelsea are the most advanced suitor at this stage.
- Any deal will depend on Chelsea agreeing a fee and making room in the squad through departures such as Trevoh Chalobah, while Palace’s contract control to 2029 strengthens their bargaining position.