Chelsea are closing in on the signing of Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, as the Blues prepare to offer a fee in the region of £52 million, according to Alan Nixon. Whilst that fee is not enough for Palace, the reports are suggesting that a deal is close, and despite numerous reports of player swap deals, it will be a straight cash sale.

The deal is expected to accelerate now Lacroix is out of the World Cup, and a sale is seemingly imminent. 

This news has also resurfaced the links with Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell. 

Whilst the exact fee Palace are demanding is unknown, it would be somewhat surprising if the club settles for around £50-£55 million. Lacroix has been one of Palace’s most important players, and still has three years left on his deal. 

Brighton sold Jan Paul Van Hecke for a staggering £51 million, the Dutch international having just one year running on his contract. By that benchmark, Palace should be pushing above that range. 

Even if the sale of Marc Guéhi is taken into account, where Palace avoided losing him on a free but took what was a cut price sum of £20 million. A reasonable fee for the England international would have been circa £60 million.

Losing out on those funds with Guéhi, Palace should be aiming to sell Lacroix above market value if anything, not at the same price that a lesser talented central defender went for just weeks ago with only one year remaining on his terms. 

There is also the caveat that Xabi Alonso’s side have no European football to offer after finishing tenth in the Premier League last season. That was no deterrent for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, who is close to signing for a staggering £117 million, but it may mean the Blues have to stump up additional wages to convince Lacroix to sacrifice a season in Europe. 

The final part of the ‘project’ that Palace haven’t quite mastered yet is securing appropriate fees for their players. Buying young and exciting talent with the aim of developing and flipping for profit is a sustainable model, but aside from Eberechi Eze’s sale to Arsenal last Summer, Palace have not managed to secure what would be considered an appropriate fee for any of their departing stars. 

It’s vital that they don’t make the same mistake with Lacroix. William Saliba’s injury which could see him miss over half of the upcoming season could entice Arsenal to enter the race, which would drive the price up, but Palace should be looking for a minimum of £60 million regardless.

The same report stated that Palace may return for Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell. The Englishman had been the subject of intense interest from Stade Rennais, but that deal is stalling, which has opened the door for Palace. 

Cresswell would favour a move back to England, and his attributes would suit the Premier League well. 

He’d also fit the model well, at just 23-years-old, he’d be gettable for around £20 million and could be sold for profit later down the line too. 

This saga is going to continue to stir until a deal is finalised, but Palace need to hold strong for a good price.