Crystal Palace are now considering a move to sign Chrislain Matsima from Augsburg as the hunt for Maxence Lacroix’s replacement continues.
The Eagles initially opened talks with Toulouse over a deal for Charlie Cresswell, but the England U21 international looks set to be staying in France with Rennes.
Crystal Palace also showed late interest in Aurele Amenda before his £17.2m switch to Coventry advanced. It is understood Steve Parish will not sell Lacroix to Chelsea before finding a replacement.
TalkSPORT now claim that the UEFA Conference League winners are ‘eyeing’ Matsima, but who is the Frenchman? Let’s take a closer look.
How much is Maxence Lacroix worth? 🤔
The Frenchman still has three years left on his contract 📝
Meet Chrislain Matsima: Jean-Philippe Mateta’s 2024 Olympic Games teammate
Should the 24-year-old make a move to Selhurst Park, there would already be a familiar face waiting for him in Jean-Philippe Mateta, who he spent time with while playing for France at the Olympic Games in the summer of 2024.
At club level, Matsima plays his football for Augsburg in Germany, who he signed for in a €6.5m (£5.5m) switch from Monaco in January 2025 after initially taking the defender on loan in August 2024.
Previously, the man born in Nanterre has spent time on loan with Lorient, Lorient II and Clermont before moving to the Bundesliga.
Matsima is a towering defender standing at 6ft 4in – one who also possesses plenty of international experience for France across a range of age groups – and prefers his right foot.
As you can see, the Augsburg No.5 has made many appearances at various levels, but has never been selected to play for the senior France side.
| Year | Level | Appearances | Goals |
| 2018 | France U16 | 8 | (0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–2019 | France U17 | 15 | (0) |
| 2019 – 2020 | France U18 | 12 | (1) |
| 2021–2022 | France U20 | 10 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | France U21 | 13 | (1) |
| 2024 | France Olympic | 3 | (0) |
Matsima did only manage to make 18 appearances in the Bundesliga last season after suffering a tendon tear just before Christmas, which ruled him out of 15 league games.
Augsburg are believed to want €30m (£26m) to sell the central defender this summer – according to Sport Bild – largely due to the fact he is under contract until July 2030.
That is a respectable fee in this day and age, but the main concern for Crystal Palace will be the amount of football Matsima missed through injury last season.
- Full name: Chrislain Iris Aurel Matsima
- Age: 24
- Date of birth: 15 May 2002
- Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
- Nationality: French
- Place of birth: Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine
- Club: Augsburg
- Position: Centre-back
🚨 NEW SIGNING ALERT 🚨
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