Crystal Palace close to agreeing £22m deal for Cheick Doucoure

Crystal Palace are close to agreeing a deal for Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure that is set to be worth just over £22m including add-ons.

Doucoure emerged from the youth ranks at Lens and helped the club back into Ligue 1 in 2020. He has since starred in back-to-back season in which they have finished seventh in the top flight.

90min understands that the proposed deal between Palace and Lens will be worth an initial €21m (£18m) potentially topped up with a further €5m (£4m) in add-ons further down the line.

22-year-old Doucoure is due to arrive in England for a medical before the weekend. The Mali international is then expected to put pen to paper on a five-year contract until 2027.

As a defensive-minded midfielder, Doucoure could prove to be a long-term replacement for Cheikhou Kouyate. The veteran Senegalese star has been in talks with the club about signing a new contract to extend his deal that expires this week, but no agreement has yet been announced.