Chelsea transfer news: Why Fikayo Tomori is a better signing than Maxence Lacroix
18 Jul 2026 13:01 BST |
4 min read
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Chelsea’s hunt for a new centre-back has seen them turn to Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix, but after being quoted a huge asking price from the Eagles, the Blues should turn their attentions towards a well-respected academy product.
After a disappointing campaign that saw the Blues miss out on European qualification, one of the main tasks handed to new manager Xabi Alonso has been to strengthen Chelsea’s defence.
The urgency to do this has been increased due to the sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid, with the Spain international having been capable of filling in as a centre-back in a three-man defence or on the left of Alonso’s rearguard.
Crystal Palace’s Lacroix price leaves Chelsea with a dilemma
A central defender had been on Chelsea’s shopping list in any case, and Palace’s Lacroix has been earmarked as one of the club’s top possibilities.
The 26-year-old will not come cheap, though. The Times reports that Palace have slapped an asking price of £55 million (€65m) on the head of the former Sochaux and Wolfsburg defender.
It would be understandable if Chelsea were to baulk at that figure. Lacroix’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at £39.5m (€46.4m), indicating that the London club are being asked to pay a huge premium for the player.
But there are other attractive options who could be on the market, with one in particular ticking all the boxes that Chelsea need for a successful signing.
There are two non-negotiables for Chelsea in this area. Primarily, any signing has to be of a high standard to enhance the squad. Secondly, experience, particularly in the Premier League, is a plus.
On top of this, Chelsea clearly like Lacroix’s profile as a ball-playing defender, so any arrival should have a similar playing style.
Why Fikayo Tomori is the better Chelsea option
In Fikayo Tomori, the Blues have the perfect option. After coming through the Blues’ academy, he has honed his talents in Serie A with AC Milan and at 28 years old is at the peak of his powers.
He already has 27 first-team appearances at Chelsea to his credit, including 17 in the Premier League. He has become an undisputed starter with Milan and has shown impressive reliability throughout his career, with a hamstring problem in 2023/24 being the last time he missed any games through injury.
Tomori offers better value than Lacroix
Quality, meanwhile, is not an issue. Data analytics firm SciSports gives him a SciSkill rating of 109.5 based on hundreds of in-game statistics. This is higher than the 99.6 that Lacroix boasts and is higher than the 109.3 potential that the experts believe the Frenchman possesses.
In terms of value for money, too, Tomori trumps Lacroix comfortably. He is out of contract next summer and is, therefore, likely to be available for a comparatively cheap figure.
The Canadian-born star’s ETV sits at €14.8m, and even if Chelsea were to be quoted a price higher than this figure, it would be justified based on the player’s current ability and the saving they would make in comparison to Lacroix.
Many clubs, meanwhile, might look at Tomori’s greater age as a drawback, but for Chelsea, where there has been an overreliance on youth and a lack of leadership, it should actually be seen as a positive.
It may not be a fashionable shout, but Tomori is a player the Blues should certainly be studying after Palace’s Lacroix valuation.
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