Crystal Palace are ‘closing in on the £22.3m signing of Cheick Doucoure after reaching an agreement with Lens for the highly-rated midfielder’… having seen their initial £14.5m rejected by the French club
- Crystal Palace have agreed a £22.3m fee with Lens to sign Cheick Doucoure
- The Eagles initially had a £14.5m bid for Doucoure rejected by Lens last week
- Palace are confident they can quickly secure a deal for the Mali international
- He would represent Patrick Vieira’s third signing of the summer at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace are close to sealing the signing of Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, according to reports.
French outlet RMC are reporting that a fee of £18m plus £4.3m in bonuses has been agreed between the two clubs, while The Athletic claim Palace are increasingly confident about securing 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 £22.3m 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, when they narrowly missed out on European qualification.
The Malian international has eight caps for his country and has spent his entire career at Lens, clocking up a total of 131 games.
Doucoure was in sparkling form for Lens last season as they narrowly missed out of Europe
Now he is nearing a move to the Premier League, with Palace keen to add him to their ranks
The addition of Doucoure would signal the third signing of the summer for Patrick Vieira, who is looking 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…