Crystal Palace eye Sidiki Chérif as Angers seek €25m+ record sale

Crystal Palace are showing serious intent in the pursuit of highly rated Angers SCO forward Sidiki Chérif, with the Ligue 1 club prepared to demand a record-breaking fee of €25m or more for the 19-year-old.

Interest from Crystal Palace first emerged on Christmas Day, when Le Parisien reported that the Eagles had expressed a clear intention to move for Chérif during the January transfer window. That claim has since been reinforced by multiple sources in France.

French journalist Mohamed Toubache-Ter reported on X that Chérif is being tracked by several clubs, including AC Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt and Paris FC, alongside Palace.

Chérif is a product of Angers SCO’s academy and made his senior debut in 2023. His rapid rise saw him sign a long-term contract until 2029 last year. According to Toubache-Ter, Angers initially value the forward at around €20m — but that figure may now be rising fast.

Paris FC are reportedly pushing hardest at this stage, placing Palace under pressure if they wish to move quickly.

Further insight comes from Ouest-France, which explains that Angers are open to sales due to the “near-disappearance of television rights revenue” in French football — a factor forcing many Ligue 1 clubs to reassess their financial strategies.

Angers head coach Alexandre Dujeux is understood to be aware that several key players are attracting interest, with Chérif among the most valuable assets in the squad.

The report names Palace alongside Villarreal, VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen as clubs monitoring the situation closely.

While Angers’ exact demands are not definitively stated, Ouest-France suggest Chérif could become the club’s most expensive ever sale. That would mean surpassing the €25m Angers received from Olympique Lyonnais for Jeff Reine-Adélaïde in 2019.

Such a fee would significantly exceed the €20m valuation previously mentioned and underline just how highly Chérif is regarded internally.

Despite the growing interest, the report adds that Chérif would be open to remaining at Angers for a few more months to continue his development — potentially complicating any January deal.

That stance, combined with strong domestic competition from Paris FC and rising valuation demands, means Crystal Palace face a challenging negotiation if they wish to secure one of France’s most promising young forwards.

Palace’s interest is genuine, but the price — and competition — is intensifying. Whether the Eagles push hard in January or reassess their approach for the summer could depend on how far Angers are willing to compromise on a fee that may already be heading beyond €25m.

Should Crystal Palace break their transfer record for Sidiki Chérif — or is the valuation too risky for a 19-year-old?