Chelsea have completed their first signing of the Xabi Alonso era with Italian defender Marco Palestra signing a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge
07:00, 02 Jul 2026
Granit Xhaka
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Chelsea remain interested in Granit Xhaka(Image: Gareth Copley)
It has been quite the week at Chelsea in terms of the summer transfer window.
Some supporters were left a tad concerned at the club's seemingly slow start but there was always work going on behind the scenes. Now, the transfer window has exploded from a Chelsea point of view, with Xabi Alonso and the club's sporting leadership team hard at work to build a competitive squad in time for the 2026/27 season that gets underway in August.
Marco Palestra has been signed on a long-term contract from Atalanta. Alonso, sources close to Chelsea insist, pushed hard in order to fend off competition from Inter Milan for the 21-year-old's signature. And there are more expected to come through the door this summer.
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Chelsea are advancing in talks with Rayo Vallecano for left back Pep Chavarria. The Blues want to add depth to the position following Marc Cucurella's £52million departure to Real Madrid last month.
As for Maxence Lacroix, the west Londoners opened talks with Crystal Palace last week for the France international defender. It has gone fairly quiet ever since, though, leaving some Chelsea supporters a bit concerned on that front.
Meanwhile, Chelsea retain an interest in Sunderland midfielder Granit Xhaka after the Black Cats quickly dismissed an offer understood to be £8m from the Blues on Sunday. Sunderland are said to be furious with how low the west London club's opening bid was and sources close to the Stadium of Light have continuously insisted that Xhaka is not for sale this summer. Chelsea are preparing a new-and-improved bid for the midfielder, football.london understands.
So, with all of this being said, Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes , our Chelsea writers, have reached an agreement over the next signing the Blues should make following the capture of Palestra:
Bobby Vincent
For me, going into the summer, improving the centre of defence was an absolute must. It still is and I'm a huge fan of Lacroix.
It won't be easy or straightforward getting that deal over the line from a club-to-club point of view, however, with Crystal Palace keen to ensure if the France international does go, they receive a great value for his services. Chelsea, meanwhile, will not want to pay over the odds despite being desperate for a long-term partner for Levi Colwill.
Either way, I would be putting the most focus on getting the Lacroix deal done as soon as possible. Worst case scenario from Chelsea's perspective would be to leave it too long and then a club with Champions League football swoops in and steals the defender from their grasp.
In the background, working on deals for the likes of Chavarria and Xhaka would represent smart business. Lacroix, from my point of view, should be Chelsea's No.1 priority right now.
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Jake Stokes
Although I'd like to see Chelsea break the bank for a marquee left-sided forward this summer, I think it's important that the sporting leadership team wrap up a deal for Lacroix as soon as possible. The Crystal Palace defender would be a great addition to the starting lineup; he's not quite the world-class centre-half that the Blues need to partner Colwill, but there's no one better available on the market at the moment.
Lacroix is an exciting profile, and he's got the tools to become one of the best defenders in the Premier League. The France international would be a significant upgrade on what Alonso already has at his disposal, so higher-ups at Stamford Bridge can't afford to drop the ball.What excites me most about Lacroix is that he's just as good in a back-three as he is in a back-four, which will be imperative next season when managers up and down the Premier League try to find weak spots in the Chelsea boss' tactics. Once the Blues secure the Frenchman's signature, they'll have laid a strong foundation to build from for the rest of the transfer window.