Crystal Palace star plays final game for Selhurst as transfer ‘planned’

The Crystal Palace star played his final game at Selhurst Park and is “on track” to move on in the summer, according to reports.

Palace’s Premier League season came to an end on Sunday with a 2-1 loss to Arsenal at Selhurst Park.

It was the kind of performance that characterized much of the campaign – competitive, organized, never lacking in effort, but ultimately beaten by a team operating at a different level.

The newly crowned champions were made to work hard for it, but in the end the difference in quality spoke for itself.

Palace finished in 15th place with 45 points. It’s an unforgettable league position, but it only tells half the story of this incredible year.

The other half is written in Europe.

Wednesday night’s match against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig will be one of Palace’s biggest ever.

It was a Conference League final, a chance to lift the first trophy in European history, and an opportunity that no one at the club could have imagined 12 months ago, mainly because they were expected to play in the Europa League at the time.

Still, Palace qualified for this season’s competition with their FA Cup final victory over Man City last May and they made the most of it, getting through the group stages, overcoming a difficult knock-out tie against Thailand and now 90 minutes from winning silver.

Whatever happens in Germany, the shape of the team will change significantly over the coming summer.

With Jean-Philippe Mateta reportedly close to completing a permanent move to AC Milan and the impending managerial vacancy remaining unresolved, another departure is now taking shape – this time at the heart of defence.

Crystal Palace star Maxence Lacroix set to leave this summer

Center back Maxence Lacroix is ​​set to leave the club this summer, according to French journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

The same reporter claimed on Sunday that Lacroix was due to feature in the final game against Arsenal at Selhurst Park, but that the Frenchman was an unused substitute in a heavily rotated squad.

Hawkins also reported that a move is already “on the cards” and that there have been no discussions about a contract extension.

Given that the 26-year-old ultimately missed out on the Arsenal game, his last appearance for Selhurst may actually have been in the 2-2 draw against Everton.

It will be quite a blow.

Lacroix has been Palace’s most reliable defender this season, starting 35 Premier League games and playing more than 3,000 minutes as the center of the backline.

Since joining from Wolfsburg in August 2024, his almost eternal record reflects a player who has been at the heart of everything the club has done, from winning the FA Cup in his debut season to this season’s Community Shield.

The 26-year-old full-time France international is in the prime of his career and represents exactly the kind of talent that Premier League rivals will pay dearly for.

Hawkins did not name names, but confirmed that several top clubs have already expressed interest. Palace remain in a strong negotiating position and with Lacroix’s contract running until 2029, there is no reason to accept anything less than market value.

Given his age, international pedigree and length of contract, he would need to be worth more than £34m to even begin negotiations to make a serious offer.

But if a player’s mind is made up, clinging to him unwillingly brings its own risks.

A disgruntled defender is a liability that no club can afford, and Palace may decide that raising and reinvesting money is a smarter long-term strategy, especially with a new manager still to be appointed and a reshuffle of the squad required across multiple positions.

Wednesday is the first. Lacroix will almost certainly start for Leipzig, but his performance in the final could be the last Palace fans will see of the player they gave their all to during his time there.