Crystal Palace are considering a summer move for Lens midfielder Cheick Doucoure, according to the BBC.
The Lowdown: Doucoure profiled
Doucoure, labelled as ‘incredibly complete’ by teammate Seko Fofana, is 22 years of age and already has eight caps for Mali under his belt.
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He’s been with Lens since 2018 and has racked up 128 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, scoring eight times and registering seven assists, mainly as a holding midfielder.
He can also play at centre-back, has just over two years left on his Lens contract and is currently at the top of his game with a career-high £9m Transfermarkt valuation.
The Latest: Palace interest
The BBC shared a story on Monday, name-checking Palace with an interest in former right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The report added that Doucoure is also a target, with Patrick Vieira keen to bolster his midfield options ahead of his second season in charge.
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The Verdict: Shrewd move?
Midfield does seem to be an area of the pitch where Palace could do with strengthening despite a positive first year under Vieira.
The Eagles look set to lose Conor Gallagher when he returns to Chelsea following his season-long loan spell, while the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate, James McArthur and Jeffrey Schlupp are all out of contract in the summer.
Therefore, bringing in a young talent like Doucoure, who has been ‘destroying everyone’ this season, could prove to be a wise move bot in the short and long run.
In other news: Palace also want winger who ‘gets people out of their seats’ in cheap deal.
