Chelsea’s pursuit of Maxence Lacroix just got interesting after Oliver Glasner’s move to Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea have made substantial progress in their pursuit of Maxence Lacroix after identifying the Crystal Palace defender as a high-priority target for the summer window.
And with a potential £50 million bid taking shape, Palace have already initiated talks for Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell as a long-term replacement.
However, it’s not straightforward, as Oliver Glasner has finalised a Premier League return, agreeing to replace Vitor Pereira as Nottingham Forest’s fifth manager in under a year. Glasner, who departed Palace after leading them to a Conference League title, will take the reins at the City Ground.
Enzo Fernandez needs to leave Chelsea for the good of the club 👋🏻
Thoughts?
Oliver Glasner to drive up the price of Maxence Lacroix
Nikola Milenkovic wasn’t particularly good for Nottingham Forest last season at centre-back and if they switch to a three-back, they will need another centre-back.
Nottingham Forest are set to land well over £100 million from the Elliot Anderson sale and you’d imagine Maxence Lacroix would be one Glasner is keen on, considering how good he was for him at Palace.
Obviously, Chelsea are the more appealing destination, but Forest getting involved could push the price up and lead to Chelsea having to pay more for him.
Currently, it seems as if a fee of around £50 million would be enough to get the deal done, but that could all be about to change once he returns from the World Cup.
Glasner spoke about how much Lacroix stepped up last season
“There’s Maxence Lacroix, who came from Wolfsburg, and many asked ‘why did you sign this player?’ I think he stepped up.
“He plays incredible, so consistent. The level he is showing is really high and we can rely on him.”
However, the one thing that works in Chelsea’s favour is the fact that Lacroix is already interested in moving to Stamford Bridge this summer.
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