Chelsea are interested in Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix, with Liverpool, Aston Villa, and Bayern Munich also keeping an eye on the 25-year-old French international. Ever since Levi Colwill hurt his cruciate ligament in the pre-season, the Blues have needed more help on defence. Now they might look to the Selhurst Park star as a way to fix that.
This season, Lacroix has proven himself to be the fastest centre-back in the Premier League, reaching a top speed of 35.39 km/h. The Frenchman’s 6-foot-3 height and fast recovery speed would definitely fill a big hole in Chelsea’s defence. This season, he has played in 28 Premier League games, scoring one goal and assisting two others. He has only missed two league games all season.
His value has risen significantly in the last few weeks since he earned his first senior caps for France during the international break in March. Lacroix made it clear what he wanted when he talked to Crystal Palace’s official website about his goals:
“My dream is to win the World Cup – I want to win the World Cup with France. At Palace, of course, right now it’s to win the Conference League. We can’t win the Premier League right now, but in the Conference League, we have our chance – so this is our ambition.”
In 2024, the defender moved from VfL Wolfsburg to Palace for £18 million, reuniting with his former boss, Oliver Glasner, in South London. Since then, he has become a key part of the Eagles’ defence, especially after Marc Guehi left for Manchester City in January and left a leadership gap in the back.
Why Crystal Palace Has The Upper Hand In Any Possible Lacroix Deal
Crystal Palace are in a strong negotiating position because Lacroix is under contract until 2029, and there is no release clause. Chelsea and other teams are showing interest, but Crystal Palace are in a strong position. His current market value is about €40 million on Transfermarkt, but the Eagles would probably ask for more money because they have the upper hand.
Palace have already lost a few key defenders in recent windows, like Joachim Andersen to Fulham and Guehi to Manchester City. The club’s leaders won’t like the idea of losing another key defender. Lacroix currently makes £50,000 a week at Selhurst Park, which is a low wage that any of the interested clubs could easily raise. However, Palace’s strong contract means they can set the terms for any departure.
Lacroix could be an improvement over Chelsea’s inconsistent defensive options like Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Wesley Fofana. But Aston Villa’s ability to offer Champions League football next season could give them a big edge in this race, making it hard for Chelsea to make this deal happen this summer.