Chelsea poised to beat Arsenal to £52m Lacroix deal as Alonso reshapes defence

Chelsea are close to signing Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix for £52m, moving ahead of Arsenal in the race for the Frenchman as new head coach Xabi Alonso begins a major overhaul of his defence.

Lacroix, 26, has scheduled a medical with Chelsea today ahead of completing the move from Palace, according to British newspaper The Sun. The fee is expected to reach £52m, matching the minimum figure Palace were prepared to accept.

Alonso, appointed at Stamford Bridge this summer, has made reinforcing the back line a priority and identified Lacroix as one of his leading targets in the current transfer window. The French centre-back’s blend of quality and experience in English football is viewed at Chelsea as an immediate upgrade for a defence being reshaped before the new season.

Arsenal interest came to nothing

Arsenal had previously explored the possibility of signing Lacroix before the start of the World Cup, The Sun reports. The north London club sounded out Palace over a deal as they looked to cover for the long-term absence of France international William Saliba through injury.

However, despite that early interest, Arsenal did not follow up with a formal offer and Chelsea have since moved decisively to secure an agreement with Palace.

Palace initially demanded £60m to part with Lacroix but were determined not to drop below £52m. That figure mirrors the sum Tottenham paid Brighton earlier in the summer to sign defender Jan Paul van Hecke, a valuation that helped shape Palace’s stance in negotiations.

Trophy-winning defender

Lacroix has established himself as one of the more prominent defenders in English football during his time at Crystal Palace, collecting three major honours with the club.

He has won the FA Cup, the UEFA Europa Conference League and the Community Shield while at Selhurst Park, achievements that strengthened Chelsea’s belief he could slot straight into a side aiming to compete on multiple fronts next season.

Chelsea’s hierarchy are understood to value Lacroix’s proven record in high-pressure matches as well as his familiarity with the Premier League, seeing him as “ready-made” to contribute from the opening weekend.

Stones also on Chelsea radar

Alongside the Lacroix move, Chelsea are also monitoring England defender John Stones, who is currently a free agent.

Alonso is keen to inject more leadership and top-level experience into his squad, and Stones’ availability is seen as a potential opportunity to add a seasoned figure to a back line that could undergo significant change in the coming weeks.

The interest in Stones underlines the scale of Chelsea’s planned defensive rebuild, with new arrivals expected to be balanced by several departures.

Chalobah and Disasi linked with exits

A number of Chelsea defenders are being linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge during the current window, The Sun adds.

Trevoh Chalobah, a graduate of Chelsea’s academy, has attracted offers from Italian club Como, who are coached by former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The 25-year-old has been in and out of the first team and could be allowed to leave if Chelsea complete their incoming deals.

Axel Disasi, who spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United, is also drawing interest from across Europe. Milan are understood to be at the front of the queue for the French defender, whose market value is estimated at around £25m.

Alonso’s wider rebuild

These developments form part of a broader strategy under Alonso to remodel Chelsea’s defensive unit ahead of the new campaign.

The club are moving quickly to bring in new personnel while entertaining offers for existing players, as they seek to assemble a squad capable of mounting a stronger challenge next season.

If completed as expected, the capture of Lacroix from Palace for £52m would represent one of Chelsea’s most significant defensive signings of the window and a notable blow to Arsenal, who had earlier identified the Frenchman as a potential solution to their own injury problems at the back.