Crystal Palace agree season-long loan for Chelsea's Axel Disasi

Crystal Palace have reached a verbal agreement to sign Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on a season-long loan for the 2026-27 campaign, with the player undergoing a medical on Friday morning. The move will see the 28-year-old France international cross London to join the Eagles, who are preparing for their first-ever Europa League season.

The deal, reported by multiple sources, involves Crystal Palace paying a loan fee to Chelsea and covering Disasi's entire salary. The defender is not part of Chelsea's plans under manager Xabi Alonso and was not assigned a squad number for the upcoming season. He has not played a competitive match for the Blues since January 2025 and has spent the last two seasons on loan, first at Aston Villa and then at West Ham United.

Palace identified Disasi as a priority target to bolster their defense following the departure of Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea earlier this summer. The club also lost Marc Guehi to Manchester City in January. New manager Pierre Sage has already brought in Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza, but Disasi is viewed as a direct replacement for Lacroix in the heart of the defense. His performances for West Ham last season, despite their...