Crystal Palace Pursue Loan Move for Chelsea's Axel Disasi
Crystal Palace are pushing to bring Chelsea defender Axel Disasi to Selhurst Park on loan, with talks understood to be at an advanced stage, according to reports from Sky Sports News and talkSPORT.
The 28-year-old has been frozen out at Stamford Bridge and has not played for Chelsea since January 2025. He was moved into the club’s so‑called “bomb squad” before spending the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United, where he rebuilt some rhythm but not his long-term Chelsea future.
Palace have moved quickly. They need to.
Maxence Lacroix’s £52m move to Chelsea has ripped a hole straight through the heart of their defence, and the club see Disasi as the ready-made replacement: experienced, physically imposing, and already hardened to the demands of the Premier League.
New Palace boss Sage has made no attempt to hide the scale of the problem at centre-back – or the profile of player he wants to solve it.
“Yes. We need a player in this department, a player with a lot of games, if possible, in the Premier League,” he said in Thursday’s press conference, underlining both the urgency and the standard required. “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 message was clear: Palace do not just want numbers. They want authority at the back.
Asked directly about the pursuit of Disasi, Sage chose his words carefully, conscious of the defender’s current status as a Chelsea player.
“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.
Chelsea, who have already sanctioned one defensive reshuffle by bringing in Lacroix, appear ready to move Disasi on again, this time across London for another loan spell. For Palace, it would be a significant statement early in Sage’s tenure: a French international centre-back, with Premier League miles in his legs, dropped straight into a back line crying out for leadership.
If the deal is completed, Disasi will arrive with a point to prove and a vacancy to fill. Selhurst Park is not a forgiving place for defenders who hesitate – but it can be a powerful stage for those who take charge.
