London, Aug 26 (IANS) Chelsea defender Axel Disasi has joined Crystal Palace on loan for the 2026/27 season, with the Premier League club confirming the move on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old centre-back will spend the remainder of the campaign at Selhurst Park after falling down the pecking order at Chelsea. Palace will be Disasi's third loan destination since joining the West London club from AS Monaco in 2023.

Disasi began his senior career with Paris FC before moving to Reims, where he helped the club win the Ligue 2 title. His performances earned him a move to Monaco, where he spent three seasons and made 129 appearances across competitions.

He joined Chelsea in August 2023 and has since made more than 60 appearances for the club. During his time at Stamford Bridge, Disasi was part of the Chelsea squad that won the UEFA Conference League in the 2024/25 season.

The France international started Chelsea's first eight matches in their successful Conference League campaign before finishing that season on loan at Aston Villa.

He subsequently joined West Ham United on loan for the second half of last season, starting 16 of their 17 matches in all competitions.

Palace chairman Steve Parish welcomed the arrival of the experienced defender and said the club was pleased to add a player of Disasi's calibre to its squad. "We are pleased to welcome a defender of Axel's experience and calibre to Palace for the season. I look forward to seeing him in action at Selhurst Park," Parish said.

Disasi said he was excited by the opportunity to join Palace and continue his career at a club he believes is moving in the right direction.

"I'm very happy. The club has been going in a very good direction, so I think it was the right place for me to keep going," he said. "I know that it's very tough to play against Palace at Selhurst Park, so I'm looking forward to being on the other side now!"

Disasi has earned five senior caps for France and was part of the squad that finished runners-up at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He appeared in the final against Argentina.

The defender has more than 300 senior club appearances to his name, including 22 in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.

Chelsea, meanwhile, wished Disasi well for his loan spell and said the club would continue to follow his progress at Crystal Palace.

--IANS

sds/bsk/