Elisha Owusu is set to leave AJ Auxerre for Turkish Süper Lig side Erzurumspor FK in a permanent transfer worth €1 million plus bonuses, with Auxerre making a profit on the Ghana international they signed from Gent in early 2023.
The deal, first reported by L’Équipe on 16 August 2026, sees the 28-year-old defensive/central midfielder move to the newly promoted Turkish club with one year remaining on his Auxerre contract (which ran until June 2027). He had been the club’s captain until May 2026 and was left on the bench for Auxerre’s recent friendly against Werder Bremen (1-0 win). Auxerre will receive a fixed €1 million fee excluding potential bonuses and a sell-on percentage, roughly doubling their initial outlay of around €500,000 when they signed him from KAA Gent in January 2023.
Owusu, born 7 November 1997 in Montreuil, France, is a French-born Ghanaian who stands 1.82 m and primarily operates as a defensive midfielder (also capable in central or more advanced roles). He is known for his physicality, dynamism, ball recoveries, and leadership qualities. He came through the Olympique Lyonnais academy (joining around 2010 after time at Bourgoin-Jallieu and earlier clubs), captained the reserves, and signed his first professional contract with Lyon. He never made a senior appearance for the first team and was loaned to Sochaux for the 2018–19 Ligue 2 season (around 33–36 appearances).
In June 2019 he joined Belgian side Gent for approximately €1 million (Lyon retaining a sell-on clause). Over three-and-a-half seasons he made more than 120 appearances across all competitions (around 84 in the Belgian Pro League), contributed to European campaigns (including Europa League and Conference League), and helped win the Belgian Cup in 2021–22. He ranked among the top midfielders for recoveries in his early seasons there.
In January 2023 he moved to Auxerre. He featured in the latter part of their Ligue 1 campaign that season, then played a key role in the 2023–24 Ligue 2 title-winning promotion campaign (scoring his first professional goal in September 2023 against Troyes). He extended his contract to 2027 in June 2024 and served as captain. Across his Auxerre spell he logged roughly 90 league appearances (plus cups), scoring 2 goals and providing several assists, while remaining a regular starter in Ligue 1 upon their return (around 28 appearances and 1 goal/3 assists in 2024–25; further games in 2025–26). His market value has been estimated in the €2–4 million range in recent assessments.
Internationally, Owusu has earned around 23 caps for Ghana since his debut in March 2022 (a World Cup qualifier against Nigeria). He has featured in Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup qualification campaigns and participated in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Erzurumspor, newly promoted to the Süper Lig, moved quickly for the player. Reports indicate the agreement is for two years (with a possible option for a third), and Owusu was expected to travel to Erzurum shortly after the news broke. The transfer came in the wake of Erzurumspor’s opening-day defeat, as the club strengthens its midfield with an experienced, battle-hardened international. Turkish coverage has described him as a tough, dynamic No. 6/8 who can raise the level of teammates.
For Auxerre the sale represents a clean profit and clears a relatively high salary for a player entering the final year of his deal, allowing squad reshaping. For Owusu it offers a new challenge in a competitive league, regular minutes, and continued international exposure at age 28. The move marks the end of a productive three-and-a-half-year chapter in Burgundy, where he progressed from new signing to captain and promotion hero.