Summary Palace advancing talks to sign Lacroix as Guehi replacement, prioritizing the young French defender's skills. Co-owner Parish open to Guehi departure for right price, eyeing Lacroix to potentially bolster the defense. Lacroix's past success under Glasner could make him an ideal fit for Palace, potentially forming a strong partnership with Andersen.
Following a reported fourth bid from Newcastle United, Crystal Palace are now advancing in talks to sign a possible replacement for Marc Guehi, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Crystal Palace transfer news
The Eagles already lost Michael Olise to Bayern Munich earlier in the window and have been in no mood to accept anything lower than their valuation for Guehi, reportedly rejecting Newcaste's latest offer worth £60m plus £5m in add-ons.
Palace co-owner Steve Parish recently spoke about the defender's future, saying: "We would like to keep hold of him. There is a price and a situation where we might consider it.
"Somebody [in another interview] said he is a superstar, so somebody has got to pay superstar money. Realistically, he is homegrown, 24 years old and a sensational talent – so somebody has to make it difficult for us. At the moment, it isn't.
"He will still be at Crystal Palace at the moment, but it's not impossible [that he goes]. He is certainly not making anybody's life difficult, his agents are decent people. It is a very good situation. Whether he is here or not will make no difference as to how he performs."
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Admitting that an exit is a possibility this summer for the right price, it's no surprise that the Eagles have lined up a potential replacement for the England international.
According to Romano, Crystal Palace are now advancing in talks to sign Maxence Lacroix from Wolfsburg this summer. The centre-back reportedly remains their priority target and manager Oliver Glasner considers Lacroix an "ideal choice" to replace Guehi should the Chelsea academy graduate depart in the next two weeks.
If those at Selhurst Park manage to get their asking price for Guehi, before adding a player of Lacroix's calibre, then it could be looked back on as a stroke of genius by the end of the campaign.
"Talented" Lacroix has already worked under Glasner
What would instantly hand Palace a major boost is the fact that Lacroix has worked under Glanser in the past during the manager's tenure at Wolfsburg. The defender played 36 games for the Austrian during their time together in the 2020/21 campaign and a reunion looks set to be on the cards if the cards fall into place this month.
Described as "talented" by former teammate Koen Casteels, Lacroix is just 24 years old and could be on the verge of entering his prime, making now the best time to complete a move to the Premier League.
Possibly stepping into the Palace team alongside the experienced Joachim Andersen, the Frenchman could quickly form quite the partnership to make Selhurst Park forget all about Guehi in the coming campaign. That said, there are still plenty of pieces to fall into place before a deal even nears completion.