Chelsea have signed France international Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.
The 26-year-old has signed a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea paid a reported £52million to prise him away from Selhurst Park.
Lacroix is the fifth summer signing for new boss Xabi Alonso, following on from Morgan Rogers, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quendra and Harrison Bettoni.
“I am really happy to be part of this beautiful club. Everyone knows the legend of Chelsea, its tradition of winning, and to be a part of that is a proud moment,” Lacroix told the club’s official website.
“When I spoke with the manager, I saw that we have the same direction and desire for this club.
“We want to win. When you see the quality of the players here, everything we have around the club, it’s something that we can achieve. The ambition is to lift trophies, and I can’t wait to contribute.”
Summer of churn at Chelsea
Chelsea have balanced the books partially by offloading Marc Cucurella (£51.8m) to Real Madrid, Andrey Santos (£50m) to Manchester United and Alejandro Garnacho on loan to Aston Villa.
Palestra could form a new central defensive pairing with Lacroix, who was one of the standout players in another impressive season for Palace in 2025/26.
He made 55 appearances in all competitions, and started in the Eagles’ 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in the final of the Conference League.
Lacroix’s form earned him a call-up to the France squad for the World Cup and he appeared in three games, including Les Bleus’ 6-4 defeat to England in the third-fourth place play-off.
His sale represents another clever piece of business for Palace who signed Lacroix from Wolfsburg for £15.4m from Wolfsburg two years ago.
Palace sad to see Lacroix depart
Palace chairman Steve Parish said of Lacroix: “Max has been fantastic since he came to the club, being a huge part of our trophy winning seasons and building a special bond with everyone at the club and the supporters.
“Thank you Max, for everything, and all the very best for the next phase of your career.
“As outstanding a figure off the pitch as he has been on it, we are all grateful to him for the role he has played over the last two seasons, and – although we are sad to bid him farewell – we do so wishing him the very best for the future.”
