Crystal Palace close to agreement with Chelsea to sign Axel Disasi on loan

Palace are closing in on a loan deal for Chelsea outcast Disasi, according to reports from Sky Sports News and talkSPORT. The 28-year-old centre-back has not featured for the Blues since January 2025, having been exiled to their 'bomb squad' before spending the second half of last season on loan at West Ham United. Palace have moved decisively to secure the Frenchman's services to fill the void left by Maxence Lacroix's £52m switch to Stamford Bridge.

New Palace boss Sage confirmed that his side are in urgent need of an experienced Premier League centre-back who can provide natural leadership to his defensive line.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Sage said: "Yes. We need a player in this department, a player with a lot of games, if possible, in the Premier League. We need players, but we need a leader and that's why we need to wait a little bit to find a good one."

Addressing the links with Disasi, the manager added: "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."

Disasi's fate in West London was firmly sealed this week after his No. 2 shirt was handed to new signing Marco Palestra under new manager Xabi Alonso. Despite attracting strong interest from Serie A heavyweights AC Milan and Roma following his solid stint with the Hammers, the defender looks set to remain in the English top flight. His arrival will complement summer recruits Takehiro Tomiyasu and Oscar Mingueza to rebuild defensive stability following Marc Guehi's January exit and Lacroix's summer departure.

Palace launch their 2026-27 Premier League campaign with a trip to face Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon. The club hierarchy are working against the clock to finalise the paperwork so Disasi can be registered and integrated into Sage's back-three system. The French defender faces an immediate test of sharpness as he looks to re-establish his pedigree in the top flight amid a demanding early-season schedule.