Crystal Palace in talks to sign Auxerre midfielder Kevin Danois for £25M

Crystal Palace is in advanced negotiations to sign Kévin Danois from AJ Auxerre in a deal worth £25 million plus potential add-ons. The 22-year-old midfielder has quietly become one of the more coveted young talents in Ligue 1, and Palace has apparently decided to move ahead of the competition before the price climbs further.

The timing matters. Auxerre holds Danois on a contract running through June 2029, which gives the French club considerable leverage.

Who is Kévin Danois?

Born on June 28, 2004, Danois turned professional in 2021 and has since accumulated over 50 senior appearances for Auxerre. He has chipped in 3 goals and 1 assist across those appearances. Danois is considered a versatile midfielder and also carries international pedigree, having earned a cap for France’s Under-21 side.

The bidding landscape

Crystal Palace is not the only club that noticed Danois. Newcastle United has also been linked, making this a competitive situation rather than a straightforward negotiation. Besiktas has reportedly registered interest as well.

The clearest proof of Danois’s rising market value is what Auxerre did last year: they rejected a bid from Bournemouth worth €11 million. The current Palace offer, framed at £25 million plus add-ons, represents a significant step up from that rejected figure. Estimated transfer values had been pegged somewhere between €12.5 million and €15.2 million in recent assessments, which means Palace’s reported bid is already pushing well above those benchmarks.

What this means for Palace

Newcastle’s involvement complicates the picture. The Magpies have significantly more financial firepower and the lure of European football to offer. If Newcastle decides to match or exceed Palace’s offer, the negotiation shifts from a Palace-Auxerre conversation into a straight player-preference question.

Palace being described as a leading bidder at this stage suggests the talks have progressed beyond casual inquiry, but the add-ons structure in any deal indicates both sides still have distance to close on the overall package. These discussions align with Crystal Palace’s January 2026 transfer targets.

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