Chelsea open formal talks with Palace over £55m-rated Lacroix

Chelsea have held formal talks with Crystal Palace over a move for defender Maxence Lacroix, with the Eagles valuing the France centre-back at a minimum of £55m. Palace owner Steve Parish is understood to be determined to drive a hard bargain on the fee.

The 26-year-old is expected to push for a move to west London, even though his current club would prefer to keep him. Chelsea have already indicated a willingness to include fringe players in any deal to help bridge the valuation gap.

Why the fee is the sticking point

Palace are using Jan Paul van Hecke's £52m move from Brighton to Tottenham as a benchmark for the deal, which is why the asking price sits above that figure. Lacroix has been a central part of the Selhurst Park side since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg in 2024, making 98 appearances across two seasons and helping the club to the FA Cup, the Conference League and the Community Shield.

• Chelsea have held formal talks with Crystal Palace over Maxence Lacroix
• Palace value the France centre-back at at least £55m
• Van Hecke's £52m Brighton-to-Tottenham move is being used as a yardstick
• Chelsea are open to offering fringe players to help fund the deal
• Lacroix is expected to push for the move despite Palace wanting to keep him

Lacroix's summer with France

Lacroix spent the off-season at the World Cup with France. He featured in their 4-1 win over Norway, came off the bench in the 2-0 semi-final defeat by Spain, and started the bronze medal match as England beat France 6-4.

A busy window at Stamford Bridge

The Lacroix approach is part of a wide-ranging summer of recruitment for Chelsea, who had deals for Geovany Quenda and Emmanuel Emegha lined up before the window opened and have since added Marco Palestra from Atalanta for £47m. The club are also set to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a British record £117m, with a medical scheduled for Monday. Rogers' former club Middlesbrough stand to bank 20 per cent of the profit on the sale, a sum that looks set to be around £20.3m, having bought him from Manchester City for £1.1m in July 2023 and sold him to Villa seven months later for an initial £15.5m.

Outgoings have been just as significant. Marc Cucurella has been sold to Real Madrid for around £52m, Andrey Santos has joined Manchester United in a £50m move, and Tyrique George has completed a permanent switch to Everton for a reported £24m.

Chelsea's next step will be to agree a fee with Palace, whose resistance to selling is likely to shape how quickly any deal advances. With the window still open and Lacroix keen on the move, further talks are expected.