Chelsea told to pay £55 million to sign FIFA World Cup star

Chelsea have reportedly been told to pay £55 million for the signature of FIFA World Cup star Maxence Lacroix. As reported by Chelsea Dodgers on X, the Blues have been informed that they have to shell out £55 million for the Frenchman.

Lacroix has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea this summer following Xabi Alonso’s appointment at the club. The Blues struggled defensively in the last few seasons and Alonso is believed to be eyeing an experienced defender to bolster his backline.

The 26-year-old has been impressive for Crystal Palace since his reported £18 million switch from VFL Wolfsburg in 2024. The Eagles performed really well defensively since Lacroix’s switch to Selhurst Park.

Lacroix could be a solid addition to Chelsea, especially if Xabi Alonso opts to use a 3-4-2-1 system at Stamford Bridge. The Frenchman played in a three-at-the-back system at Crystal Palace under Oliver Glasner.

The French defender has made 98 appearances for Crystal Palace, having scored four goals and provided four assists. He won one FA Cup, one FA Community Shield and one UEFA Conference League during his stint at Selhurst Park.

He was part of the French team that made the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The six-cap France international made two appearances in the tournament.

Chelsea great predicts the outcome of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final

Former Chelsea and France defender Frank Leboeuf has backed Spain to thrash Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The former World Cup-winner in 1998 has predicted a 4-0 win in favour of the European champions. He said:

“I’m sorry, I will have to go with a really large (scoreline). I’m going 4-0 to Spain. I have respect and I could go for 3-2 but I’m sorry, the scenario that I see is that if Spain score one goal, Argentina have to get out and play and they could get punished considering the talent of the Spanish team.”

Spain started their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. However, they have won every game since and defeated favourites France 2-0 in the semi-final. La Roja have scored 13 goals in the tournament and conceded only once.

Meanwhile, Argentina have not been thoroughly convincing at the FIFA World Cup so far. They beat Algeria, Austria and Jordan to top their group and beat Cape Verde in extra time in the Round of 32. They beat Egypt 3-2 in the Round of 16 and needed extra time to beat Switzerland in the quarter-final. Lionel Messi’s side secured a 2-1 comeback win against England in the semi-final.