{"id":18053,"date":"2026-07-16T19:48:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18053"},"modified":"2026-07-16T19:48:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:48:47","slug":"chelsea-are-still-hoping-to-land-this-crystal-palace-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=18053","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea are still hoping to land this Crystal Palace star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In a recent segment on Youtube, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano mentioned that Chelsea are still hoping to land Crystal Palace star Maxence Lacroix. Romano said,<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to return on a name I made here at the end of June and remains on Chelsea shortlist, and it\u2019s the name of Maxence Lacroix.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChelsea are still working behind the scenes on the deal for Maxence Lacroix.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s in the list.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the most appreciated centre-backs at Chelsea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChelsea contacts already took place on club side and on agent side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, Chelsea remain very keen on Maxence Lacroix.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChelsea want to add one centre-back, could be two, based on exits, and Maxence Lacroix is one of the players, who remains on the very top of their list.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Lacroix\u2019s Impressive Form In English Football<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Lacroix had a solid campaign at the London club after he put in a series of impressive displays for them on the defensive end of the field. The 26-year-old played in 55 matches for Crystal Palace last season, scoring three times and securing three assists in multiple competitions.<\/p>\n<p>The English talent is currently one of the most talented centre-backs in the Premier League. Thus, it is no surprise that the Blues are eyeing a move to sign him later this year.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_356140\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-356140\" style=\"width: 1988px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-lazyloaded=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-356140\" src=\"https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026.jpg\" alt=\"Arsenal\" width=\"1988\" height=\"1325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026.jpg 1988w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1392x928.jpg 1392w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1068x712.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/the4thofficial.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/crystal-palace-fc-pitch-walk-and-press-conference-uefa-conference-league-final-2026-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1988px) 100vw, 1988px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-356140\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">LEIPZIG, GERMANY \u2013 MAY 26: Maxence Lacroix of Crystal Palace uses a mobile phone during a Crystal Palace FC Pitch Walk ahead of their UEFA Conference League Final 2026 match against Rayo Vallecano at Football Arena Leipzig on May 26, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>His current contract at Selhurst Park will run out in the summer of 2029. Hence, Chelsea would have to launch a convincing offer if they are serious about signing Lacroix in this transfer period.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Should Chelsea Boss Xabi Alonso Move In For Lacroix?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Lacroix is a solid tackler of the ball and can sense the danger well to make crucial interceptions for his team inside his half. He usually puts his foot through the ball when required and is proficient at playing his way out from the back.<\/p>\n<p>The French sensation can use his strong 1.90m to dominate the opposition attackers in the air. He has already begun to prove his worth in the Premier League and won\u2019t take much time to adjust to life at Chelsea.<\/p>\n<p>We can expect Lacroix to bring more bite and steel to Xabi Alonso\u2019s defence. He has what it takes to fight for a regular first-team spot at Stamford Bridge next season.<\/p>\n<p>At 26, Lacroix is about to enter his prime, which makes him a good fit for the West London club\u2019s needs this summer. Hence, Alonso would be wise to move in for him later this year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a recent segment on Youtube, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano mentioned that Chelsea are still&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18053\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}