The 19-year-old attacking midfielder moves up to the Premier League after two years starring for Millwall in the Championship, with five goals and an assist to his name already this season.
Esse has signed a five-and-a-half year deal with Palace. He will be available for selection from next weekend’s match against Brentford and will wear the No. 21 shirt.
The Lambeth-born teenager began his journey in Millwall’s youth system, and made his professional debut as a 17-year-old against Watford on Boxing Day 2022.
After beginning to feature regularly in the second half of last season, the teenager has started all but one of Millwall’s Championship matches in 2024/25.
That rise in prominence has also shone in Esse’s progress at international level, with the teenager representing England’s Under-18s, Under-19s and – from last year – Under-20s, scoring a superb individual effort in a 4-0 win over Germany in November.
Chairman Steve Parish said: “We are delighted to welcome Romain to Crystal Palace, and we’re looking forward to working with him to continue his impressive progress to date.
“Romain is the type of player who gets crowds off their seats – the type of player long associated with South London and Crystal Palace Football Club – and everyone at the club is looking forward to watching him shine on the pitch, and fulfil his exciting potential.”
Having put pen to paper with the club, Esse said: “I’m very excited to be here. It’s a good project and a good opportunity, so I just can’t wait to get started.”
Everyone at Palace would like to welcome Romain to SE25, and wish him the very best for his career in red and blue.