Crystal Palace’s continued pursuit of Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure has now taken another step forward as the Eagles have reportedly upped their bid for the highly-coveted Mali international.
Doucoure is said to be Palace’s number one transfer target this summer and has reportedly already agreed on personal terms with Patrick Vieira’s side. The sticking point at the moment is agreeing on a transfer fee, but it’s not just Palace in discussions with Lens, with several other Premier League clubs reportedly talking to the French side about the midfielder.
With more twists and turns in the deal expected to follow, football.london have taken the chance to map out how we got to this point, with Palace now said to be upping their initial offer for Doucoure in order to push the deal through as soon as possible.
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Doucoure number one target
With discussions over a new deal for Cheikhou Kouyate not progressing and James McArthur nearing the end of his career, a deep-lying midfielder was always going to be a priority area for strengthening in the market. Palace have been keeping on Doucoure as a long-term solution for a while, but news that the club would be targeting him during the upcoming summer transfer window began in mid-April with the announcement that preliminary meetings between the Eagles and Doucoure’s agents had already taken place.
Vieira has already seen Doucoure up close while he was managing Nice in Ligue 1, most recently watching the Malian from the touchline in August 2020 as Lens lost 2-1 at the Allianz Riviera.
Other suitors revealed
With the Premier League season closing in May and the start of the transfer window appearing on the horizon, the number of Premier League clubs interested in Doucoure slowly increased. By the end of May, Arsenal, Everton, Wolves and Palace’s fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion were all named as potential suitors for Doucoure.
Personal terms agreed
Two days before the summer transfer window opened in the UK, reports emerged that personal terms had already been agreed between Doucoure and Crystal Palace, with the midfielder said to be happy to come to the Premier League and work under Vieira. There was still no official bid made by Palace to Lens for Doucoure, though, with both clubs apart in their valuation for him.
With two years remaining on the midfielder’s contract in Lens, the French club have been firm in their negotiations.
Opening bid placed
On June 13, French journalist Marc Mechenoua revealed that Palace had tabled an opening bid of around €17million (£14.5million) for Doucoure but that Lens were holding out for a price of €25million (£21.5million) for the midfielder.
The news was welcomed by Palace fans who have been eager to see the deal completed as quickly as possible due. Tottenham Hotspur’s £25million signing of Yves Bissouma meant Brighton would be on the eye for a midfield replacement, having already been linked with Doucoure. Eagles supporters were glad to see negotiations officially starting with Lens.
The second bid offered
Reports from FootMercato emerged this week that Lens had turned down Palace’s opening offer, prompting the Eagles to accelerate their next move and place an improved bid on the table for the French club to think about.
The report read: “In recent hours, the Eagles have accelerated and want to quickly close the file according to our information. The English club has intensified discussions with the Lensoise management, and the first offers have even been refused. As a reminder, Lens are asking for €20million to let the midfielder slip away, who still has a huge margin for improvement and who has a contract until June 2024 with the Sang-et-Or.”
Lens sign replacement
Having already tracked him for some time, Lens completed the signing of Clermont Foot’s Salis Abdul Samed on Friday afternoon, announcing he had joined the club on a five-year contract for around £4.2million. The Ghanian helped Clermont retain their Ligue 1 status last season by appearing 31 times and scoring twice for them, finishing in the league’s top five for players with the best pass completion rate.
“We are happy to finalise the arrival of Salis, a player we have been following very closely for many months,” Lens’ sporting director said upon his arrival Florent Ghisolfi. “He was our priority in this position: a player who has a lot of pace, a lot of running and a lot of intensity. Salis is a complete midfielder, influential in both defensive and offensive aspects, but with a lot of potential for development. His qualities, his commitment and his generosity, make Salis a perfect fit for our project.”
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