Somebody must have found the keys to the office and remembered the passwords to the computers as the Chelsea sporting directors, all seventeen* of them, have really gotten to work this week, wheeling and dealing and, in the case of Maxence Lacroix, “preparing to advance [our] interest”, as per The Telegraph.
That may be generative AI talk for potentially making a play for the Crystal Palace center back, who popped up on the rumor mill radar a couple weeks ago. Or, to be more precise, popped back on the radar.
*approx.
We were first linked with Lacroix some five years ago when he was just a young pup at Wolfsburg. At the time, he smartly dismissed that move as being far too soon for his career, and he would stay for another three years before moving to Crystal Palace in an £18m deal two years ago. Now, at age 26, he’s established himself as a key player and leader for Palace, helping them to an historic FA Cup crown in 2025 followed by winning the UEFA Conference League last season. He’s earned four caps for France in the process, including a spot on their World Cup squad.
Despite their recent on-pitch successes, Palace are under a bit of financial pressure, which may make them more open to letting their Vice-captain leave. The Athletic surmise that it could take north of £50m to make a deal happen, but these days, that’s almost the going rate of any player with any quality.
Lacroix would certainly fit the bill of an established, experienced, high quality player, leader, and winner to add to the squad — unlike the other center back we’ve been linked to recently, Como’s Jacobo Ramón. Funding this transfer shouldn’t be a problem given the veritable plethora of spare defenders we have on the chopping block (and apparently Trevoh Chalobah, too).
