Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira on Monday threw his support behind new signing Cheick Doucoure after the Mali midfielder claimed he had been the victim of attempted blackmail and extortion since joining for the club. The south London club signed Doucoure in a deal worth a reported £20 million ($24 million) on July 11 after he impressed for Lens in the French top-flight last season. But in a statement from his lawyer Alexis Rutman Sunday, reported by British media, it was alleged that Doucoure and his entourage had been “victims of blackmail and an attempt at extortion from several individuals” since. “These individuals claim, with false evidence, that my client would have a double identity and demand the payment of a sum of money in return for their silence,” he alleged. “Several Whatsapp messages to this effect, accompanied by false documents, have thus been addressed to my client and his entourage over the past few days.” Click here for full story