Chelsea have signed France's World Cup defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for £52m. The Frenchman joined Palace from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in 2024 for an initial £15.5m and became a regular under Oliver Glasner last season. Lacroix made 55 appearances in all competitions as Palace won the Uefa Conference League, the club's first major European trophy. "I'm really proud, really happy, to be part of this beautiful project and I just want to start playing. The Blues are also currently in talks to sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck and Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson.