Crystal Palace have confirmed the signing of Cheikhou Kouyaté from West Ham and look poised to complete a move for Jordan Ayew as the manager, Roy Hodgson, steps up his recruitment drive for the new season.
Kouyaté, the Senegal midfielder, passed his medical on Wednesday after agreeing personal terms on a four-year contract and moves across London for a fee of £9.5m plus £1.5m in add-ons. The 28-year-old spent four seasons in east London after joining from Anderlecht in 2014 and will provide competition in midfield after the departure of Yohan Cabaye and the Chelsea loanee Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
“I’m so happy. It’s been a long day but now everything is good and I’m very excited to start with my new teammates,” Kouyaté told Palace TV. “This is the right time to move because I needed a new challenge. I have good memories of West Ham but I need to come here and give my best because I like the Crystal Palace project.
“I spoke to the manager and I know he’ll be a good manager. I also spoke to Pape Souaré yesterday and he told me I had to come and now I’m here and I’m very happy.”
The arrival of the free agent Max Meyer is also imminent, with Palace waiting for international clearance from Fifa for the 22-year-old Germany midfielder.
The Swansea forward Ayew, meanwhile, has also been scheduled for a medical after Palace agreed a deal that will involve the former Ajax midfielder Jaïro Riedewald moving to south Wales permanently. The Ghana international spent 18 months at Swansea after signing from Aston Villa.
