Chelsea are showing no signs of slowing down in the transfer market as Xabi Alonso continues shaping his squad ahead of the new Premier League season, with the Blues closing in on a €55m (£47.5m) deal for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix and maintaining strong interest in midfielder Adam Wharton.

The move for Lacroix has made rapid progress in recent days and is expected to be sealed once France’s World Cup campaign ends. The 26-year-old is currently away with Les Bleus and made his World Cup debut in their 4-1 win over Norway, playing the full 90 minutes as group winners to advance to the last 32.

According to sources close to the deal, ‘everything is accelerating’ for Lacroix to move to Stamford Bridge when France’s tournament finishes. The fee is believed to be around €55m, a significant jump on the £15.5m Palace paid Wolfsburg to sign him in 2024.

Lacroix has been a central figure in Palace’s most successful period in years. He started 14 games during their run to Conference League glory last season, scoring twice and adding one assist, and played a staggering 55 times across all competitions. In total he has made 98 appearances for Palace, contributing four goals and four assists, and has already picked up an FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League winners’ medal.

His fit in Alonso’s plans is clear. Lacroix has spent the past two seasons thriving in a 3-4-2-1 under Oliver Glasner at Selhurst Park, giving him invaluable familiarity with the three-man defensive system the new Chelsea head coach wants to implement. He would be expected to slot straight into the first XI, most likely alongside Levi Colwill and either Trevoh Chalobah or Wesley Fofana.

That has immediate implications for Chelsea’s current center-back group. Tosin Adarabioyo, 28, started just eight Premier League games last season despite being one of the more experienced defenders in the squad. Benoit Badiashile made only eight top-flight appearances in 2025-26, while Axel Disasi is returning from a loan spell at West Ham United. All three now look vulnerable as Alonso trims the group to suit his preferred shape.

Lacroix is under contract at Selhurst Park until 2029, which gave Palace leverage in negotiations, but the lure of Champions League football and a central role under Alonso appears to have convinced the France international.

He is not the only Palace player Chelsea are targeting. The Blues remain firmly in the race for England midfielder Adam Wharton, who is still regarded internally as one of the club’s ‘priority’ targets this summer. Blues insider Simon Phillips reports there is growing optimism around a potential move, even though Chelsea expect negotiations to be difficult.

Wharton, 22, has established himself as one of the Premier League’s finest young midfielders since joining Palace. Chelsea believe he has the technical quality and composure to become a cornerstone of Alonso’s midfield for years to come.

The challenge for Chelsea is that convincing Palace to sell one star is hard enough. Doing both in the same window would be a major test. The pair could cost around £120 million combined, with Palace valuing Lacroix at approximately £50 million and Wharton at about £70 million.

From Palace’s perspective there is little incentive to weaken two key areas of their starting XI unless those valuations are met in full. Losing both Lacroix and Wharton would leave Oliver Glasner with a huge rebuilding job, even if the financial return would be substantial.

Chelsea, however, have shown repeatedly under the current ownership that they are willing to spend heavily on players viewed as long-term pillars. The club sees Lacroix as an immediate starter who fits Alonso’s system, and Wharton as a future midfield leader.

With pre-season approaching and Alonso keen to have his core in place, expect Chelsea to push hard to get the Lacroix deal over the line first. If that goes through, the focus will immediately turn to whether Palace can be persuaded to part with Wharton as well, in what would be one of the window’s most eye-catching double deals.