Lacroix targeted for £35m as Cucurella transfer request forces Chelsea defensive rebuild

Chelsea are preparing for a major defensive restructure this summer as incoming manager Xabi Alonso confronts the consequences of a season in which the club conceded 52 Premier League goals and finished tenth.

Only eight sides shipped more than Chelsea’s defensive tally last term — a figure that exposes the back line as the primary reason the Blues, despite scoring the joint-fifth-most goals in the division, fell so far short of European contention.

The injury-enforced absence of Levi Colwill for virtually the entire campaign left Enzo Maresca and caretaker Liam Rosenior cycling through combinations at centre-back, with Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah forming the most consistent pairing. Further fitness setbacks throughout the squad meant a settled defensive unit never truly materialised.

Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix has emerged as a priority target to address that problem. RMC Sport reported the 26-year-old Frenchman may have played his final match for Palace, with the club understood to be willing to sell for approximately £35 million. Lacroix has been a cornerstone of Palace’s defensive solidity in recent seasons, and at that price he would represent one of the more cost-effective acquisitions in Chelsea’s recent transfer history.

The situation at left-back is equally pressing. Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo has alleged that Marc Cucurella has submitted a transfer request, with the Spain international keen on returning to Barcelona. The Catalan club would need to pay around £40 million to prise him away from Stamford Bridge — a fee that would simultaneously create a vacancy Chelsea must fill.

Valentin Barco, currently at Chelsea’s BlueCo sister club Strasbourg, appears to be the in-house candidate to step into that role. The Argentine has confirmed his departure from the French club following an 18-month spell in Ligue 1, where he produced his best performances operating in midfield despite originally arriving from Brighton as a left-back. The existing BlueCo relationship is expected to simplify any transfer negotiations.

With Jorrel Hato already on the books as cover at left-back, Barco could initially serve as understudy before challenging for the starting position — or slot into a midfield role should Alonso prefer to use Hato as the first-choice option from the outset.