Reports today surrounding long‑term West Ham United target Axel Disasi confirm that Crystal Palace have now accelerated their push to sign the defender. Their decision to table a loan‑to‑buy offer is raising eyebrows, especially given they clearly have the funds to meet Chelsea’s £25m valuation after selling Maxence Lacroix to the Blues for around £52m.
Yet there are suggestions that the club are grappling with UEFA Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) rules.
It’s still baffling that Disasi wasn’t discussed as part of that deal, a move that would have made far more strategic sense for Palace.
Their proposal also casts doubt on whether West Ham were ever realistically prepared to buy Disasi outright.
Disasi looks to be ‘Palace bound
In truth, the Hammers were probably offering a similar loan‑based structure, despite seeing the Frenchman as a central pillar of our rebuild and a key figure for Nuno.
Despite West Ham being seen as a heavyweight in the Championship and selling 50,000 season tickets, Disasi wants top flight football, and has made that clear in talks between West Ham and his representatives.
Whether a loan with an option to buy if we secure promotion would have tempted him or Chelsea is uncertain. The expectation is that Disasi will choose Palace, leaving West Ham to move swiftly onto other defensive targets.
I see Pablo Fornals scored once and assisted twice in a Betis win against Arsenal, now he is a player