Millwall are in talks to bring Romain Esse from Crystal Palace, with the idea stemming from the agreement to sell Femi Azeez to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Millwall are in talks to bring Romain Esse from Crystal Palace, after deciding to sell Femi Azeez to Brighton & Hove Albion. According to the BBC, Esse is not deemed suitable for the Eagles moving forward and could return to Millwall following his departure 18 months ago.
Romain Esse made his move out of Millwall to join Crystal Palace in the January window of 2025. The attacker was signed for a fee rising to £14.5 million then, but his time at Selhurst Park has been a disappointment.
In the one year he was at the club from January 2025 until December, Esse featured 17 times for the Eagles across all competitions. He joined Coventry City on loan, where he made 18 appearances in all competitions, helping the club gain promotion to the Premier League. At the moment, he is expected to leave the South London club as he is not seen as a viable part of Pierre Sage’s first-team plans.
Why is Romain Esse going back to Millwall?
When the summer transfer window opened, Crystal Palace were expected to attract approaches for Esse, and there were reports of interest from several clubs. Belgian giants Club Brugge were close to signing Esse on a permanent move, and while the move looked like a promising act for the player, things did not go to plan.
The talks for Club Brugge to sign Esse collapsed, as per reports, and since then there have been no real takers for the 21-year-old Crystal Palace wide man. However, former side Millwall are now in discussions to sign their old star winger and bring him back to The Den.
There is no clarity on whether this would be a loan deal or a permanent transfer, but the reason for this move is the sale of Femi Azeez to Brighton, as David Ornstein reported earlier in the day. Esse could be a solid replacement for the new Seagulls winger. Any move will depend on the finalisation of the formalities and medicals, as the Championship side will hope for the player to rediscover his form at the club.
