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Crystal Palace want 'untouchable' Chelsea star after signing ex-Arsenal defender
Aug 07 2026 19:19 · By Callum McAvoy · 11 Reads
Takehiro Tomiyasu has joined Crystal Palace on a free transfer after a trial period (Photo: Getty)
Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing an ‘untouchable’ Chelsea star after announcing the arrival of former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.
Tomiyasu joins the Eagles on a free after a successful trial period at the club which saw him take part in several pre-season games.
The Japan international was a fan-favourite at Arsenal but had his contract terminated last year after ongoing injury problems caused him to miss almost all of the 2024/25 season.
After a brief stint at Ajax, Tomiyasu has become new manager Pierre Sage’s second signing for Palace following fellow versatile defender Óscar Mingueza.
The pair bring much needed squad depth as the club prepare for their Europa League debut, but Palace are still in the market for another centre-back option after selling Maxence Lacroix to Chelsea for £52million.
A deal for Augsburg’s Chrislain Matsima collapsed last week, while there is strong interest in Raphael le Guen but the Brest teenager has only made a handful of senior appearances.
There have been rumours that Axel Disasi could swap Stamford Bridge for Selhurst Park, but the Chelsea outcast’s £25m price tag would surely prove problematic with Palace unable to spend big because of UEFA’s Squad Cost Ratio rules.
Axel Disasi has been discussed by Palace but they want a different Chelsea defender (Photo: Getty)
But is has been reported by BBC Sport, that the Eagles have their eyes on a different Blues defender: Josh Acheampong.
It is said that Acheampong is one of only seven players that Chelsea consider to be ‘untouchable’ and not for sale at any price, a group that includes Cole Palmer, Reece James and Moises Caicedo.
That’s despite the 20-year-old struggling for minutes at Stamford Bridge, as while he made 30 appearances across all competitions last season, just 14 of them were starts.
Josh Acheampong is very highly-rated by Chelsea (Photo: Getty)
That situation is unlikely to improve this campaign thanks to the arrival of Lacroix and Marco Palestra, as well as the return of Levi Colwill from a lengthy injury. Moreover, Chelsea are not in any European competition.