Chelsea Sign Lacroix for £52m
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- Chelsea signed Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for £52m on a contract running until 2032, with the defender citing Reece James and Morgan Rogers as part of why he wanted the move.
- Lacroix joined Palace from Wolfsburg in 2024 for an initial £15.5m, made 55 appearances in all competitions and won the Conference League under Oliver Glasner — Palace's first major European trophy.
- The 26-year-old France international, capped seven times, made three appearances at the 2026 World Cup including the third-place play-off against England.
- Chelsea's third summer signing, joining Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra, with the club still in talks for Brighton striker Danny Welbeck and Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson.
- At 26, Lacroix is the oldest player signed under co-owner Behdad Eghbali, who said Chelsea would "tweak" their model and add experience after a trophyless 10th-place Premier League finish last season.
- The deal precedes Chelsea's first season under new manager Xabi Alonso, whose attempt to reunite with former Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland fell through.
Why it matters: At £52m, Lacroix is the most visible test case of co-owner Eghbali's pledge to "tweak" Chelsea's youth-only recruitment model after a 10th-place finish with no trophies. As the oldest player signed under the current ownership, his arrival — alongside the failed pursuit of 34-year-old Granit Xhaka — signals a material pivot toward experience that new manager Xabi Alonso inherits on the touchline at Stamford Bridge.
