Chelsea have already sold Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid for £51.8m this summer and are on the verge of completing the signing of Atalanta defender Marco Palestra for a fee in excess of £43m. Those moves, however, are only the opening salvos in a major defensive overhaul under incoming manager Xabi Alonso, with the club now stepping up their pursuit of Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix.
Lacroix, a France international currently on World Cup duty, has been central to Palace's FA Cup and Europa Conference League triumphs. The 26-year-old has three years left on his contract, and Palace are braced for an offer from their London rivals. The Eagles are keen to tie him down to a new deal, but it is unclear whether Lacroix is ready to engage in talks.
“Chelsea accelerate pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix as Xabi Alonso rebuilds defence after selling Cucurella.”
Chelsea's need for at least one central defender is urgent, with interest in Trevoh Chalobah from Serie A side Como. The England international is open to a move to Italy, which would further thin Alonso's options. Como are also the club of another Chelsea target, 21-year-old centre-back Jacobo Ramon, though Ramon remains linked to former club Real Madrid through various clauses.
The complications extend beyond defence. Real Madrid have made Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez — valued at £120m by the Blues — one of their key targets, and Fernandez is known to be keen on the move. Meanwhile, full-back Malo Gusto is considering his future at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have placed a £75m price tag on the Frenchman, who is attracting interest from Manchester City.
Further sales are likely needed to create space in defence, with doubts also hanging over the futures of Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo. An attacker and a midfielder could be added later in the window, but for now the focus is on reshaping a backline that struggled last season.
Palestra, who can play on both sides, is set to be Alonso's first signing. If Chelsea can also land Lacroix, and navigate the web of outgoing deals involving Chalobah, Gusto and potentially Fernandez, the new manager will have the foundations of a defence to call his own. The question is whether Palace — and the other clubs involved — will make it easy.