Marco Palestra has already travelled to London for the medical, after Chelsea reached an agreement with Atalanta.
On Friday, Sport Witness covered claims from Italy that the Blues followed the right-back for a year.
The long pursuit will pay off as Chelsea are edging closer towards completing Palestra’s signing.
Xabi Alonso’s side are looking to further strengthen their defence with Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix.
Chelsea move after World Cup
The centre-back has had a fruitful year so far as he made his debut for France in March and won the UEFA Conference League with the Eagles.
Didier Deschamps has included the Crystal Palace player in his squad, and he made his World Cup debut in Les Bleus’ 4-1 win over Norway.
The 26-year-old is most likely to change clubs this summer. That’s according to L’Equipe, who claims ‘things are moving quickly’ for him.
The defender is ‘reaping rewards’ for being consistent on the pitch. The newspaper states Maxence Lacroix is expected to join Chelsea for €55m after the World Cup.
Jeunes Footeux relays it and share their own updates on what this deal would mean for his former club.
Xabi Alonso has been pushing the Blues to sign a centre-back like Lacroix and believes the defender would suit his system.
He joined FC Sochaux’s academy in 2015 and made his way into their first team three years later. Lacroix played for the French club’s first team for two years and left them for VfL Wolfsburg in 2020.
After spending four years in Germany, he moved to Selhurst Park in August 2024. The central defender would join Chelsea after the World Cup, meaning in July.
Sochaux are excited about this operation as they will financially benefit because of FIFA’s Solidarity Mechanism.
If the fee is around €55m, the French will collect €1.3-1.4m. Jeunes Footeux claims their budget for the 2026/27 season is around €14m. If they were to receive additional funds from the Lacroix deal, then ‘this financial windfall comes at the perfect time’.
Lacroix’s contract, value and agent info
The France international has a contract until 2029, and Transfermarkt value him at €50m. His value has increased by €25m in the last 12 months.
British agency Unique Sports Group represent Maxence Lacroix. The defender has played 4,842 minutes from 55 matches for the Eagles last season.