Chelsea plot next move for another World Cup player after huge £117m deal struck

Chelsea are moving to sign another Premier League star after smashing their transfer record to bring in Morgan Rogers for £117 million.

Having missed out on European football last season, the Blues are not messing around this summer and a major rebuild under new manager Xabi Alonso is well underway.

Chelsea signalled their intent for the new season by agreeing a deal to sign England and Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers.

Rogers had reportedly been on the verge of signing for Premier League champions Arsenal before Chelsea hijacked the deal and had a bid accepted.

The former Manchester City academy player looks to become Chelsea's third major addition this summer, following on from the arrivals of Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra.

READ MORE: Arsenal pulled out of Morgan Rogers transfer over key demand before Chelsea hijack

But Chelsea's spending is anything but done as reports claim they have opened form talks for another Premier League player who featured in the World Cup.

According to Ben Jacobs, they west London outfit are in discussions for Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix.

Lacroix joined Palace from Wolfsburg in 2024 and helped the Eagles win both the FA Cup and Conference League in a fairytale run under Oliver Glasner.

But after close to 100 appearances for Palace, Lacroix looks set to move on to pastures new following a debut World Cup with France.

It's claimed that Palace, who have offloaded many of their top players for huge fees in recent times, value Lacroix at a minimum of £55 million.

The South London side have set their asking price after seeing Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke join Spurs from Brighton for a similar amount.

As was the case in their pursuit of Rogers, Arsenal are also said to be interest in Lacroix.

Lacroix went to his first World Cup as back-up to the first-choice pairing of William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano.

He ended up making three appearances for Les Bleus as they finished fourth, starting games against Norway and England and coming on as a sub for the injured Saliba in the semi-final loss to Spain.

What is the latest on Chelsea's transfer business?

Prior to Alonso taking the job, Chelsea also agreed deals for Denner, Dastan Satpaev and Emmanuel Emegha.

According to Faktor, Alonso wants to raid his former club by going after Bayer Leverkusen wonderkid Kerim Alajbegovic, who also starred at the World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

His incredible strike against Qatar saw become the youngest player to score from outside the penalty area since detailed data collection began in 1966.

He only recently returned to Leverkusen in March after they activated a buy-back clause to re-sign him from Red Bull Salzburg.

But Alonso is a huge fan and could sanction a move

In terms of outgoings, Chelsea are said to be open to offers for five of their players - including Alejandro Garnacho, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Diasi and Liam Delap.

On the flipside, Reece James, Cole Palmer, and Levi Colwill, Moises Caicedo, Joao Pedro, Estevao and Josh Acheampong are all seen as indispensable at Stamford Bridge.