Crystal Palace are determined to hold onto Cheick Doucoure amid strong interest from Liverpool.
The Reds have reportedly been in discussion with Palace over the last few days to see if a deal can be done for Doucoure.
But according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, discussions are nowhere near advanced. Speaking on his Here We Go Podcast this morning, the transfer expert said that it would take a massive offer for the London side to sell to Liverpool.
“Doucoure is a player who is highly rated by Liverpool,” Romano began. “People on the board and Jurgen Klopp really appreciate him. The problem is Crystal Palace. That’s why at the moment we can’t mention a proper negotiation between Liverpool and Crystal Palace or an advanced negotiation.
“The appreciation is there, the player is high on the list of Liverpool but after losing important players Crystal Palace are really fighting to keep their players at the club. They don’t want to sell anyone, this is what Palace are communicating. It would take a very big proposal to change the situation around Doucoure.”
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Palace standing firm on Doucoure
Quite what constitutes a ‘very big proposal,’ for Palace, who knows. Prior to this summer, perhaps a £40m or £50m bid would be enough to get them interested.
But having seen the likes of Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo go for over £100m, they have likely reassessed this valuation.
Initial reports claimed that the Eagles would be looking for £70-80m to sell Doucoure.
With so little time left in the window, it’s feasible that they may actually be looking for even more than this now.
From a Liverpool point of view, that’s surely going to be too high. The money is clearly there, as shown by the mammoth offer for Caicedo. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll overpay.
In supporters’ eyes, they won’t be too bothered about the fee. With the market so out of whack, the money is almost immaterial.
Liverpool are still a club who pride themselves on paying fair value, though. Klopp even said as much when discussing the offer for Caicedo. So, unless they feel Palace are being fair, they’ll likely walk away. By the sounds of things, that will suit Roy Hodgson and co just fine.