Crystal Palace have kept their powder dry in the window, but what positions must they target?

Crystal Palace are in familiar territory.With a little over three weeks until the start of the new Premier League season, they have added just one new player and have sold a first-team regular.Centre-back Maxence Lacroix has joined Chelsea, depriving Palace of a key starter but securing them around £52million ($69.5m) — a significant profit on the initial £18m paid to Wolfsburg two years ago. Oscar Mingueza has arrived on a free transfer as a useful squad player who can compete with and cover for Daniel Munoz at right wing-back, but that is the extent of the incoming business to date.Pre-season results have been mixed so far, with a 5-1 win over Swindon Town followed by defeat at Bromley and a struggle in the Como Cup. But Palace have been without the majority of their 12 World Cup players and little can genuinely be read into results with so many variables involved.That has not, though, prevented a nagging sense of nervousness among the fanbase — something that has been prevalent in previous years as well.There is still time to secure new arrivals and Palace’s squad does not need major surgery, even if they still lack quality outside the first XI. Typically, their main business is carried out later in the window in the hope prices go down ahead of the deadline. With a Europa League campaign ahead, reinforcements will be needed.The sale of France international Lacroix will afford some breathing space for Palace to operate in the market, but they will look to replace him with two centre-backs, not one. The first of those — and the priority — is a like-for-like replacement. A senior, experienced player who can slot straight in.Crystal Palace held talks with Augsburg in the hope of signing their French centre-half Chrislain Matsima (left) (Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images)Augsburg’s French centre-back Chrislain Matsima was Palace’s main target, but negotiations have stalled over the transfer fee and associated costs. The 24-year-old has since reported back for pre-season training with the Bundesliga club. The Athletic has also reported Palace’s interest in Chibuike Nwaiwu at Trabzonspor as an alternative.