Chelsea Might Consider Like-for-Like Center-Back Swap To Bolster Their Defence

Xabi Alonso's start to life at Chelsea is certainly not going to be a relaxing one, as the Blues seemingly have a lot on their plate currently.

The recent departure of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid has certainly left a void in their defensive lineup and within the next few weeks, there might be a few more departures away from Stamford Bridge.

As a result, the Chels must start their recruitment process this summer with some well needed urgency and one area where Alonso and the club management will need to focus this summer is the Blues' defense.

The West London side made quite a few attacking reinforcements during the previous summer transfer window, although a majority of them have failed to live up to the expectations of the fans so far.

This time around, defense looks to be a key priority, especially the center-back position as the Blues leaked-in a lot of goals during the previous campaign.

As mentioned previously, Alonso and co. will need to fill up the voids left by this summer's departures and seemingly Trevoh Chalobah is looking to be the latest addition to the list of summer exits, as Italian side Como have reportedly made their intentions known for the English  center-back.

Although, Como might not be the only side interested in Chalobah, as one of his former clubs Crystal Palace, where he was on loan from Chelsea for a brief period of time, might just look to bring in the fan favorite back to Selhurst Park this summer.

The Blues might just benefit from this move as one of their key defensive target Maxence Lacroix, apparently plays for the Eagles and could be looking for a new challenge during the upcoming campaign.

Lacroix has played a pivotal role for Palace since coming into the side back in 2024 as they won the FA Cup that season and started the next campaign by winning the Community Shield.

The Conference League win is certainly the cherry on top for Lacroix and his side, as the Eagles parted ways with their manager Oliver Glasner following one of the most successful phases in the history of the English club.

As for the Blues, the previous campaign certainly has been one to forget, as they finished tenth in the Premier League table with no continental football next season.

There is no denying the fact that Chelsea are interested in bringing the French international to Stamford Bridge, but it will certainly be hard for the Blues to convince Lacroix into a side where chances of winning any major trophy is close to none.

The only positive side of course for the Blues is that, Palace are definitely in the market for a center-back following the departure of Marc Guehi and the Chaloba might just be the ticket to the French center -back this summer.