Abdoulaye Doucoure joins Everton trio after confirming Goodison Park exit: ‘I will be forever Blue’

The midfielder brings an end to an emotional five-and-a-half year stay at Goodison Park, having scored an iconic goal against Bournemouth to keep the Toffees in the Premier League

Everton's Abdoulaye Doucoure celebrates against Nottingham Forest (Action Images via Reuters)

Abdoulaye Doucoure has confirmed he will leave Everton when his contract expires.

The midfielder had not been offered a new deal and the Merseyside club opted not to trigger an option to extend his stay beyond more than five years.

Doucoure had indicated that he wanted to stay at Goodison Park when celebrating his winner against Nottingham Forest.

But he is now set to move on after a five-year stay that brought 165 appearances and 21 goals, including the spectacular strike against Bournemouth in 2023 that kept Everton up.

Doucoure selected that as his favourite moment in an Everton shirt. The Mali international, who is a reported target for Leeds now, was bought by Everton for £20m from Watford in 2020.

And he said: “I am going to leave the football club at the end of the season. After five wonderful years, my time at Everton came to an end.

“Everton means a lot to me, the past five years have been hard but I will always remember my time as a dream for me to play for Everton Football Club. Obviously I am sad to leave the club but I feel the time has come for a new chapter for me and the club as well.”

The 32-year-old was bought by Carlo Ancelotti but then omitted by Frank Lampard before flourishing and becoming a pivotal player again under Sean Dyche and remained as much under David Moyes.

Abdoulaye Doucoure may have played his last game for Everton (PA Wire)

And Doucoure added: “I will be always grateful for what the club did for me. My best memory will be the goal I scored against Bournemouth to keep the club in the Premier League.

“This is something I will always be proud [of]. It was a wonderful moment for me and my family and the club as well.

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“I will miss the club. I gave everything every single time, in games, in training. I was always proud to wear the shirt, always proud to play at Goodison Park. Everton will always be part of my life now. I will be forever Blue.”

Doucoure will depart along with Ashley Young, Asmir Begovic and Joao Virginia, who are also out of contract.

Everton are yet to announce if other players whose deals expire in the summer, including Idrissa Gueye, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Michael Keane, will stay or go.