Disasi closes in on Palace loan

Chelsea defender Axel Disasi, 28, has been granted permission to visit Crystal Palace for a medical as discussions unfold regarding a potential season-long loan move from Stamford Bridge. The English Premier League club have emerged as the frontrunner to sign the French center-back, with all parties receptive to finalizing the agreement.

Negotiations are ongoing to determine the appropriate loan fee. For Palace, Disasi would mark their seventh signing of the summer under new manager Pierre Sage, as they seek to reshape their squad. Sage's managerial tenure kicks off with a match against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Chelsea are striving to trim their squad from approximately 40 players to around 25 during the latter stages of the transfer window. In addition to Disasi, Omari Kellyman and Deivid Washington are expected to join Strasbourg, while Benoit Badiashile has undergone a medical with Napoli. Disasi spent the previous season on loan at West Ham, a club that had initially expressed interest in making the deal permanent; however, an arrangement was not reached as the Hammers were relegated to the Championship.