Chelsea have officially signed France's World Cup defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace in a £52m deal. The 26-year-old, who has seven caps for France, has penned a contract at Stamford Bridge that will keep him at the club until 2032.
Lacroix initially joined Palace from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2024 for an initial £15.5m. He became a regular under Oliver Glasner last season, making 55 appearances across all competitions as Palace secured the Uefa Conference League, their first major European trophy.
The Frenchman featured three times for France during the 2026 World Cup, including in the third-place play-off against England, as Les Bleus finished fourth. He is Chelsea's third acquisition of the summer transfer window, following Morgan Rogers and Marco Palestra to west London, as the club prepares for its inaugural season under new boss Xabi Alonso.
This signing offers an insight into Chelsea's future direction after a season where they finished 10th in the Premier League and ended without a trophy. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali previously stated that Chelsea would "tweak" their model and introduce more experience to their squad.