Crystal Palace ‘closing in’ on signing of Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure with £22.5m deal agreed for Mali international
- The Eagles have agreed a £22.5m fee with Lens for midfielder Cheick Doucoure
- Crystal Palace had a £14.5m bid for Doucoure turned down by Lens last week
- Palace are confident they can quickly secure a deal the highly-rated midfielder
Crystal Palace are close to sealing the signing of Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, according to reports.
France-based outlet RMC have reported that a fee of £18 million plus £4.3m in bonuses has been agreed between the two clubs with final negotiations remaining to conclude the signing, while The Athletic revealed that Palace are increasingly confident that they can secure a deal for the player.
Palace were rebuffed on their £14.5m opening bid last week but have upped their offer to meet Lens’ valuation and are now closing in on their target.
Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure looks set to seal a move to Crystal Palace in the coming days
Doucoure’s Lens contract runs until 2024 and despite enjoying a solid season last term, the £22.5m offer is too good for the Ligue 1 side to turn down.
The 22-year-old defensive midfielder made 34 appearances last season, chipping in with one goal and four assists as he formed an excellent midfield partnership with the in-demand Seko Fofana.
Doucoure was a key player in helping Lens to a seventh-placed finish in the club’s second season back in the top flight, narrowly missing out on European qualification.
The Malian international has eight caps for his country and has spent his entire career at Lens clocking up 131 games.
Doucoure was in sparkling form for Lens last season as they narrowly missed out of Europe
The addition of Doucoure would signal the third signing of the summer for Patrick Vieira who looks to build on last season’s comfortable 12th-placed league finish and FA Cup semi-final appearance.
Palace have already announced the signing of highly-rated Derby County winger Malcolm Ebiowei on a five-year deal in addition to the capture of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a free transfer.
The Eagles have also tied down stalwarts James McArthur and James Tomkins to one-year extensions.
Palace kick off the new Premier League season on August 5 when they host Arsenal at Selhurst Park.
Advertisement