Chelsea have started talks to bring Maxence Lacroix to Stamford Bridge, but Crystal Palace are not waiting around. They are already looking at Charlie Cresswell as a replacement if Lacroix moves on, and Palace are under no financial pressure to sell.
Chelsea's move for Lacroix
Fabrizio Romano said the west London club have started talks to bring the 26-year-old to Stamford Bridge. Standard Sport also reported that Chelsea are yet to submit a bid for Maxence Lacroix, so this is still an open discussion rather than a deal at the point of completion.
Lacroix has played 70 times in the Premier League for Crystal Palace, which gives any exit a proper sting. Palace sold Marc Guehi to Manchester City in January for £20m, so they know what losing a centre-back from the group looks like, but this one is not being forced by the balance sheet. Palace are under no financial pressure to sell Lacroix.
His most recent World Cup outing was rated 6.7 over 94 minutes, a decent enough marker of steady form as Chelsea circle.
Palace's replacement plan
Alan Nixon reported that Palace are "looking into a deal for Cresswell", and that is the part that shows how quickly clubs can move once one defender becomes a live target. Charlie Cresswell is also coming from a useful base of his own. His latest Ligue 1 display was rated 7.3 over 97 minutes, and Toulouse have no obvious sporting reason to rush him out the door, with their last five results reading WWDLL.
The valuation attached to Cresswell is £26m, after he joined Toulouse from Leeds in July 2024 for £3.8m. That is a valuation, not a confirmed fee, but it tells you why Palace are doing the groundwork now rather than later.
Chelsea's own last five results, LWDLD, are another reason the club are still shaping the defensive group rather than standing still. The market is moving, and Palace already seem to have accepted that they may need to act before the first move is even finished.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →