Premier League side Everton have confirmed that they have reached an agreement to extend Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Doucoure’s deal at Goodison Park was due to see him leave the club at the end of this season but he will now have been contracted to the club for five years by the end of his new contract.
The 30-year-old has expressed delight at being able to extend his deal with The Toffees, whilst Sean Dyche has discussed how highly he has thought of Doucoure for some time and how important he views him moving forward.
Dyche told Everton’s official website: “I have been an admirer of Doucs’ qualities and, from the moment I became Everton manager, I was keen to get him into our team and for him to show what he can do.
“He repaid that decision with some excellent performances and crucial goals, not least the winner on the final day of last season which sealed out objective for that campaign to stay in the Premier League.”
Doucoure joined The Toffees in the summer of 2020, following Marco Silva from Watford for a fee believed to be in the region of around £20 million.
The France-born central midfielder began his professional career with Rennes before a loan spell at Granada and then a move to the Premier League with the aforementioned Watford in 2016.
Internationally, Doucoure represented France’s youth teams throughout his development. He made 35 caps across the U17, U18, U19, U20 and U21 French sides. At senior level, though, he earned two caps for the Malian national team in 2022 but has not been involved since then. He was initially reluctant to the idea of switching allegiances but eventually accepted a call-up last year.
He has been a key attacking threat for Everton so far this season, scoring three goals in ten appearances in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
