Crystal Palace Targets Chelsea Defender Axel Disasi on Loan

Crystal Palace are pushing towards a loan deal for Chelsea outcast Axel Disasi as they race to plug the gap left by Maxence Lacroix’s big-money exit, according to reports from Sky Sports News and talkSPORT.

Disasi, 28, has not played for Chelsea since January 2025. Once a regular, he has since been frozen out, shunted into the club’s so‑called “bomb squad” and sent on loan to West Ham United for the second half of last season. Now Palace are ready to offer him a way back into the Premier League spotlight.

Lacroix’s £52m move to Stamford Bridge has ripped a hole in Palace’s back line. The response from Selhurst Park has been swift. The club have turned to another French centre-back, this time in the opposite direction, as they look to steady a defence that has lost its organiser.

New Palace boss Sage has made no attempt to hide how urgent the situation feels.

“Yes. We need a player in this department, a player with a lot of games, if possible, in the Premier League,” he told reporters on Thursday. “We need players, but we need a leader and that's why we need to wait a little bit to find a good one.”

That word – leader – is driving Palace’s recruitment. Disasi, with his top-flight experience and physical presence, fits the profile. Palace want someone who can walk straight into the dressing room and command it, not a project for tomorrow.

Asked directly about the links to Disasi, Sage chose his words carefully, but did not dismiss the noise around the deal.

“He's a player from Chelsea, it's difficult for me to speak about a player of another club, but I hear the same noise as you,” he said.

The message is clear. Palace know exactly what they need. Now the question is whether Disasi becomes the man to anchor Sage’s new era from the heart of that defence.