Crystal Palace are said to be on the verge of bringing Raphael le Guen to Selhurst Park.
It was Sami Mokbel of BBC Sport who first broke the news of Crystal Palace showing interest in the 19-year-old, after agreeing to sell Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea in a £52m deal.
Since then, the saga has supposedly advanced rapidly, with sources claiming that the teenager was even at Copers Cope earlier on Friday to undergo a medical and finalise a move to Selhurst Park.
It remains to be seen if that is the case, but in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at Le Guen to see what he could offer Pierre Sage in SE25.
Lacroix to Chelsea is IMMINENT 🚨
Thoughts, Palace fans? 🤔
Meet Raphael le Guen: Brest’s 6ft 6in giant who idolises Virgil van Dijk
Above all else, we have to address Le Guen’s height. The Brest No.71 certainly has the physique needed to cope with the rigours of English football, standing at 6ft 6in and possessing a decent turn of pace too.
Interestingly, the Crystal Palace target only became a centre-back at U15 level after a 10cm growth spurt, having previously played as a striker in the early stages of his career.
After breaking into the Brest side last season, Le Guen said: “It’s only been five years since I’ve been a central defender, which is very little. I still have a lot to learn tactically, technically and in leadership.”
Despite that, the Frenchman – who the official Ligue 1 website claimed idolises Virgil van Dijk – certainly seems to be doing something right after catching the eye of Crystal Palace.
Le Guen coincidentally made his Ligue 1 debut against Sage last season, playing the final four minutes as Brest suffered a 3-1 loss to RC Lens back in August 2025. He had to wait until March to feature again in France’s top flight, playing nine minutes of a 3-0 loss to Auxerre.
It all seemed to click for Le Guen after that, as he started the final four matches in Ligue 1 to end the 2025/26 campaign, playing every minute of those four games, including a stunning display in a 1-0 loss to UEFA Champions League winners PSG.
The right-footed Crystal Palace target also boasts leadership qualities, having captained the reserve side at Brest on several occasions, and has experience of playing in central midfield too.
It remains to be seen how much Le Guen will cost Crystal Palace, but the teenager is not believed to be viewed as an immediate replacement for Lacroix – he is said to be seen as one for the future, with Chadi Riad, Jaydee Canvot and Chris Richards set to start the season in defence together.
- Full name: Raphael Marc Le Guen
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 1 September 2006
- Height: 1.98m (6ft 6in)
- Nationality: French
- Club: Brest
- Position: Centre-back
