Football
Liverpool Target Crystal Palace's Maxence Lacroix as Long-Term Virgil van Dijk Successor
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Crystal Palace FC v ACF Fiorentina - UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Quarter-Final First Leg by DeFodi Images | Getty Images
Liverpool are set to push hard to sign Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix this summer, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
The Reds have been in the market for a heir apparent for Virgil van Djik at the heart of their defence in recent windows.
They were left frustrated when their pursuit of former Palace skipper Marc Guehi fell through on deadline day last summer.
And despite seeing the rug pulled from beneath their feet by Palace chairman Steve Parish, our sources have been told bosses in Merseyside are ready to deal with the Eagles’ chief once more.
The Reds are determined to get their man this time around after running the rule over some of the best centre-backs in Europe in the past two years.
Arne Slot is set to be backed in the transfer window once again this summer and has made Lacroix his top centre-back target despite interest from domestic and European rivals.
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The 26-year-old is proven in the Premier League and made his France debut in the recent set of international friendlies as he looks to earn a place in Didier Deschamps’ World Cup squad.
It has been a tough campaign for the Eagles, with the sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal in the summer, losing captain Guehi to Manchester City on the eve of a game in January, the Jean-Phillipe Mateta transfer saga and the news boss Oliver Glasner is leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
There is also the expectation there will be a mass exodus from the East London club this summer with Adam Wharton, Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and Lacroix all likely to seek moves elsewhere.
Lacroix started his professional career in his homeland before penning a four-year deal at Wolfsburg in 2020.
After 140 appearances for the German outfit, Lacroix moved to Palace for £18million 2024, to be reunited with former Wolfsburg boss Glasner, and helped the club win the FA Cup in his first season and then the 2025 Community Shield.
He is contracted at Selhurst Park until 2029.
Shane is an experienced sports journalist with over a decade on the front line, covering everything from football to horse racing. A familiar face in the snooker pressroom, his work regularly appears in the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and Daily Star, alongside SportsBoom.
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