Chelsea are looking to sign a central defender in the summer transfer window with Xabi Alonso and the club considering numerous options
11:57, 16 Jun 2026
Xabi Alonso
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Xabi Alonso and Chelsea have a big summer ahead of them(Image: Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images)
Chelsea are looking to build incoming manager Xabi Alonso a squad capable of competing in his debut season - and to do that, a new centre-back must be acquired.
Outside of Levi Colwill, there are no outstanding central defenders currently in the Blues squad. Trevoh Chalobah has shown quality but perhaps not the consistency to be starting every week for a club with the aspirations of Chelsea. Elsewhere, there are question marks over the likes of Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo.
Wesley Fofana's performance levels in the 2025/26 season were not up to the standard required. The Frenchman was subpar for the majority of the campaign - and supporters have questioned his mentality following his second red card of the season against Sunderland last month.
Josh Acheampong remains very highly rated by the club and all the noises from the club suggest the 20-year-old defender has an enormous future in west London. As reported earlier in the month, Chelsea rebuffed approaches from multiple clubs in England and Europe for Acheampong - with the Blues considering him untouchable this summer.
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Chelsea insiders insist Acheampong, a Cobham graduate, will be part of Alonso's squad come pre-season. Whether or not the England Under-21 international is given more regular minutes next term remains to be seen. Either way, we know the Blues are in the market for a starting-level centre-back this summer.
If Alonso plays with a back-three system at Chelsea, then an extra centre-back option will be needed anyway. If it is a more conventional four-back, then the Blues will look to find Colwill a long-term partner.
And, with that being said, football.london takes a look at who that could be. While we do not know many names for sure at the time of writing, with Chelsea sources keeping their cards close to their chest, there are a few standout options for the Blues to consider:
Maxence Lacroix
There have been internal talks - as there will have been for a lot of candidates - about Crystal Palace defender Lacroix. After an outstanding campaign at Selhurst Park, the France international is unsurprisingly attracting a lot of attention in the summer transfer window.
There are noises that Lacroix could be on the move this summer, though Palace will not want to sell their star defender. If they did, he would not be cheap either.
Lacroix has a lot of the attributes a modern-day central defender requires. He is strong in the air, incredibly quick and aggressive in his tackles and interceptions.
Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace celebrates at the end of the UEFA Conference League Final 2026 match between Crystal Palace FC and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Football Arena Leipzig
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(Image: Image Photo Agency)
Joel Ordonez
If some people aren't already aware of the Club Brugge centre-back, then this World Cup could be the perfect time for them to take notice. Ordonez partnered Willian Pacho in Ecuador's 90th-minute heartbreak against Ivory Coast in the early hours of Monday morning.
An aggressive, front-footed 22-year-old centre-back - there are several clubs being linked with a move for Ordonez. Liverpool seem to be chief among the sides looking at signing the Ecuadorian defender. Chelsea, if they haven't already, should be seriously considering making a move.
Tomas Araujo
Araujo has long been someone linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. It seems almost every summer Chelsea are reportedly in for the Portuguese central defender, though nothing official has ever materialised.
While there haven't (to my knowledge) been any links yet this summer, at one point they are bound to surface. Araujo is known for his ball-playing ability and composure in a defensive line - something that could be perfect for Alonso and the way he will want his new Chelsea side to play. Araujo can also offer cover at right-back if needed.
Murillo
We know from past transfer windows that Murillo is someone Chelsea's sporting directors are fond of. Like Araujo, Murillo is very comfortable in possession and what he lacks in height (5ft 11in), he makes up for in his ability to help his team play out when being pressed high.
Still only 23, the Nottingham Forest defender's best years are still ahead of him. However, with four years remaining on his deal at the City Ground, Forest have all the power when it comes to a sale and as we have seen with the Elliot Anderson situation, they like to drive up the price over in Nottingham.
Dean Huijsen
Chelsea went in for Huijsen last summer but the Spain international ended up favouring a move to Real Madrid instead. However, it has not been the dream start for Huijsen at the Santiago Bernabeu and whether or not he is in Jose Mourinho's plans for next season, only time will tell.
Antonio Rudiger has recently extended his contract in Madrid, while Mourinho pushed for Los Blancos to sign free agent Ibrahima Konate. Those two, one would guess, will be the main centre-back pairing at the Bernabeu.
If Huijsen is concerned about game time under Mourinho, he may be considering his options. Again, all speculation, but if that is the case, then Chelsea should be all over exploring a deal to bring the former Bournemouth defender to Stamford Bridge. Alonso, of course, was the man who signed Huijsen for Real Madrid.
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