Chelsea near £52m deal after medical passed as BlueCo buckle on long-held transfer policy | OneFootball

Chelsea are inching closer to a £52m deal for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, in a big shift in BlueCo’s transfer policy.

When the 6ft 3in centre-back swapped Wolfsburg for Palace back in the summer of 2024, to reunite with former boss Oliver Glasner, he could not contain his excitement.

“I’m really happy to be here and arrive at this good team,” he said. “I watched Palace’s last games and I was really happy for the coach, because I’d played under him before. I think it’s the right moment to move to the Premier League.”

The £18m move more than paid off as the Frenchman became a history-maker, helping Palace to their first major trophies: the FA Cup in 2025 and Conference League in 2026.

Before he wrote himself into Palace folklore, Lacroix also set his sights on getting capped for his country for the first time.

He confidently told The Guardian, “One day I will be in a national team – I know. But right now it’s to look at what’s happening in Crystal Palace, the semi-final and win this Cup.”

The former Sochaux achieved another milestone this year by playing for France for the first time and then representing them at this summer’s World Cup.

Chelsea change strategy with Lacroix pursuit

In late June, Lacroix was linked with Chelsea, who had outlined him as one of their top defensive targets.

Now, Fabrizio Romano states that the 26-year-old has completed his medical at the Stamford Bridge outfit ahead of a £52m transfer.

Conversely, he adds that Stade Brest centre-back Raphael Le Guen will head to Selhurst Park, with the 19-year-old potentially acting as a direct replacement.

For Palace, it is becoming a familiar story. Develop top class players such as Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise, and Marc Guehi and then sell them for sizeable fees, as they flourish elsewhere.

Lacroix will hope to follow their lead, as Chelsea make an about turn on a policy that has been in place for several years under BlueCo.

Indeed, he will be the first deal since the summer of 2022 where Chelsea have paid a transfer fee for a player aged 26 or over. It appears that a newfound willingness to invest in experience, alongside their youthful offerings, is coming into action.

If Lacroix does sign, he will compete with the likes of Levi Colwill, 23, Trevoh Chalobah, 27, Mamadou Sarr, 20, Tosin Adarabioyo, 28, and Jorrel Hato, 20, in Chelsea’s defence.

It remains to be seen if the Blues will continue to sign players 26 and over this summer or if Lacroix will be a test run for this new Xabi Alonso era.