Chelsea transfer news: Blues want to sign this £52m defender
Chelsea transfer news: Chelsea alter tactical focus to stabilise fragile backline
Chelsea transfer news: Chelsea have finally blinked. After a chaotic campaign that saw their defence shredded by quick counter-attacks and undone by constant injuries, the decision-makers at Stamford Bridge are shifting their transfer strategy. No more hoarding raw, unproven attacking projects. The focus now is entirely on fixing a backline that leaked goals at an alarming rate last term.
According to a fresh update from The Athletic, recruitment staff in West London have identified Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix as their primary target. They want him through the door immediately. It is an obvious reaction to a season where inconsistent partnerships left the side totally exposed. They need an athletic profile. Someone who can swallow up large spaces behind a high defensive line and win physical duels against the Premier League’s most brutal centre-forwards.
Palace demand a steep fee for the prized asset
Getting him out of Selhurst Park won’t be cheap. Palace know exactly what they have in the 26-year-old French defender. He is completely top-flight ready, having clocked up 3,087 minutes across 35 Premier League appearances last season, picking up FA Cup and UEFA Conference League medals along the way. A solid 7.04 FotMob rating tells its own story. He has even broken into the senior French squad.
Reports from talkSPORT suggest Chelsea are already looking at creative ways to lower the cash price. They might offer Trevoh Chalobah or Axel Disasi in a swap deal. The Sun has also chimed in to confirm these player-plus-cash discussions are brewing behind the scenes. Formal talks haven’t actually opened yet, but Palace’s high valuation means the Blues must get comfortable with a steep fee if they want their man.
Simultaneously, the club are keeping an eye on long-term backup options further afield. Yahoo Sports has linked Como’s 21-year-old defender Jacobo Ramon to the club. Real Madrid still hold a hefty 50 per cent sell-on clause for the young Spaniard, who made 32 Serie A appearances last year following his €2.5 million move to Italy. Ramon is a developmental prospect. He is a project for tomorrow, not the instant fix required today.
The hierarchy cannot afford to overpay for potential right now. A settled, rapid backline offers far more value to this squad than another flashy forward.
Rohit Sarkar
