Crystal Palace Pursue Loan for Chelsea Defender Axel Disasi

Crystal Palace are pushing towards a loan deal for Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, with talks progressing as the club look to plug a major gap at the heart of their defence.

The 28-year-old has been frozen out at Stamford Bridge since January 2025 and shunted into Chelsea’s so‑called “bomb squad” before spending the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United. Now Palace are ready to hand the Frenchman a route back into regular Premier League football.

The move comes in direct response to Maxence Lacroix’s £52m switch from Selhurst Park to Chelsea, a transfer that ripped out the core of Palace’s back line and left new manager Sage demanding experience and authority at centre-back.

Manager's Comments

Sage did not hide the scale of the problem when he faced the media on Thursday.

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

The club, though, have not waited around. With Lacroix gone and the season looming, Palace have moved quickly for Disasi, whose Premier League know-how and physical profile fit the brief Sage has set out.

Asked directly about the Chelsea defender, Sage chose his words carefully but did little to cool the speculation.

"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 admitted.

Disasi’s situation at Chelsea has become increasingly untenable, with the defender out of favour and surplus to requirements despite his top-flight experience. Palace see an opportunity: a proven centre-back, eager to relaunch his career, available on a loan that would soften the financial hit of replacing a £52m sale.

If the deal gets over the line, Sage will finally have the defensive leader he has been calling for. If it collapses, the search for authority at the back starts all over again, with the clock already ticking on Palace’s season.