Chelsea needed to sign a top center back last season but failed to do so, and the ensuing fallout cost the club Enzo Maresca, who is now replacing Pep Guardiola for Manchester City, and led to a spiraling in results that the former manager had predicted.
So far, the Blues are cleaning house at center back, with Trevoh Chalobah potentially headed to Como in Serie A or another club, while Como are also interested in young Mamadou Sarr on loan.
What Chelsea need, though, is an established, proven Premier League starter at center back. Maxence Lacroix, who has stepped out of the shadow of former Chelsea man Marc Guehi after the latter’s big winter move to Manchester City, has been on the radar.
And now, Fabrizio Romano has an updated report on the underrated Frenchman. Fab says that Chelsea are maintaining contacts with Lacroix quietly in the background. Palace need Chelsea to meet their valuation and also they need to find a replacement for Lacroix.
The former Wolfsburg man is coming off the best season of his career, and he really stepped up and became more consistent, honing in his aggressiveness and athleticism. Lacroix has the hunger and the traits to succeed at Chelsea, who value these kinds of defenders who play the game with intensity. He appears to be their main target in defense for now.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.