Back to today’s briefing

Story perspectives

Chelsea Sign Maxence Lacroix for £52 Million

7/24/2026

50 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Chelsea will sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix for £52 million after a medical, on a six-year deal to summer 2032.
Lacroix played 55 games for Palace last season, scoring three goals and three assists.
He appeared in France’s World Cup 2026 squad, featuring in three matches including the third-place game.
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso calls him a key defender as Palace eyes Chrislain Matsima or Chibuike Nwaiwu as replacements.

History

Historical Context

In August 2016 Manchester United paid £80 million for Leicester centre-back Harry Maguire, the highest fee ever for a defender at the time, overtaking previous records and prompting clubs such as Liverpool to later spend £75 million on Virgil van Dijk in 2018. The deal marked the start of a new era of inflated defensive transfer values across the Premier League.

1 of 2

Story summary

Chelsea will sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix for £52 million after a medical, on a six-year deal to summer 2032.
Lacroix played 55 games for Palace last season, scoring three goals and three assists.
He appeared in France’s World Cup 2026 squad, featuring in three matches including the third-place game.
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso calls him a key defender as Palace eyes Chrislain Matsima or Chibuike Nwaiwu as replacements.

1 / 2