Crystal Palace have moved for one of Auxerre’s regular Ligue 1 midfielders, with early discussions centred on a possible £25m package plus add-ons for Kévin Danois. It is still an initial approach rather than anything more advanced, but the interest is notable given how heavily Danois featured for Auxerre last season.
- Crystal Palace have made an approach for Auxerre midfielder Kévin Danois.
- Talks centre on a possible £25m fee plus add-ons, with no agreement indicated at this stage.
- Danois made 33 Ligue 1 appearances in 2025, scoring three goals and providing one assist.
Kévin Danois’s Current Situation at Auxerre
Kévin Danois has grown into an important first-team player at Auxerre after coming through the club’s academy and helping them reach Ligue 1 in 2024. Palace’s interest is in a midfielder who already looks well-tested at senior level, having played 33 times in Ligue 1 in 2025 while clocking up 2,830 minutes, alongside three goals and one assist.
Danois is viewed as an attack-minded midfielder who can also operate out wide, which helps explain the appeal of a player who is still young but already trusted in a top-flight side. His involvement late in the last Ligue 1 campaign underlined that standing, with four full 90-minute appearances in Auxerre’s final five league matches and a goal in the 2-2 draw away to Monaco on 19 April 2026.
Crystal Palace have approached Auxerre and talks have begun over a possible £25m package plus add-ons, but there is no sign yet of an agreement, medical, or completed transfer.
Auxerre’s Negotiating Position and Previous Interest
Auxerre are not dealing with a fringe player here, which is part of why these discussions could take time. Danois was a regular starter for much of last season, and earlier interest from Hull City already showed that other clubs had started to look closely at his situation.
Auxerre had previously rejected an initial Hull City bid earlier in the window, and the French club’s reported €25m asking price from July offers a useful guide to the level Palace may need to reach if talks are to move forward.
Danois is also understood to be tied to Auxerre on a long-term deal, which only strengthens the club’s hand in negotiations. Palace may like the profile, but Auxerre are in a position where they do not need to rush.
What Could Happen Next in the Danois Talks
For Palace, the attraction is clear: Danois is a young midfielder with real Ligue 1 experience and the kind of recent first-team workload that suggests he is ready for a bigger move if the clubs can align on price. For Auxerre, the decision is whether the numbers on the table become strong enough to part with a player who has become a genuine part of their senior side.
His future now depends on whether those talks gather momentum in the coming days. If they do, Palace could push this into a more formal phase; if not, Danois remains an Auxerre player, and one who has already drawn plenty of attention this window.
