Chelsea are understood to be in ‘ongoing talks’ with Crystal Palace to sign Maxence Lacroix.DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL EMPIRE OF THE KOP APP FOR ALL THE LATEST & BREAKING UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAYBen Jacobs reported on X (formerly Twitter) that the Blues are escalating their interest in the French centre-back.It was suggested last summer that Liverpool could look at the 26-year-old as a potential option in the window, but, ultimately, Marc Guehi was the priority target.Chelsea closing in on Maxence Lacroix transferIt would appear that ex-scout Mick Brown’s prediction eventually bore fruit, with Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea now pushing hard to bring the France international to Stamford Bridge.Chelsea in ongoing talks for Maxence Lacroix. https://t.co/C5bI2F8xgW— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 20, 2026Liverpool, meanwhile, appear to have most of their attention invested in ascertaining the exact parameters of a deal that could bring Bradley Barcola to L4 this summer.READ MORE: Liverpool still waiting on key detail to move forward with Bradley Barcola transferWhile that’s a key item on the summer agenda, we are quite concerned that the Reds appear to be heading into the 2026/27 campaign with a barebones backline.Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustJeremy Jaquet is, without question, an extremely exciting talent, and we’re looking forward to seeing how he pairs with veteran centre-half Virgil van Dijk. But Andoni Iraola has already warned that Giovanni Leoni is not yet at full fitness, and Joe Gomez’s fitness surely can’t be relied upon for a long stretch of consecutive games.Liverpool need a centre-half, and they ideally need a more streetwise option who can come in and take the pressure off of two young stars with no Premier League experience.Lacroix could fit the bill for LiverpoolAt 26 years of age, with 70 appearances in the Premier League to date, Crystal Palace’s No.5 would serve a purpose at Liverpool. And for what it’s worth, prior reporting did indicate that we held at least some interest in Lacroix since his Wolfsburg days.In Liverpool’s defence, we do agree that £55m (the floor for a bid) feels steep for a player of his qualities, and you’d like to think this recruitment team could rummage up a target of a similar level for sub-£30m.The concern, of course, from our perspective, is that this will inevitably mean bedding in another centre-back from abroad at a time when the club could do with some stability at the back.Maxence Lacroix is a costly option, but one who understands what is expected of a Premier League defender.More Stories / Latest News“Held formal talks” – Liverpool target zeroing in on £55m summer transferJuly 20, 2026 21:16Liverpool player offers himself to Real Madrid; transfer could pay for Bradley BarcolaJuly 20, 2026 19:00Expected return dates for Liverpool’s World Cup contingent after final glory for Munoz and SpainJuly 20, 2026 16:41The post “Held formal talks” – Liverpool target zeroing in on £55m summer transfer appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.