Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign Crystal Palace star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s camp are in a race against time as they look to find him a new club before the September 1 deadline. The 29-year-old has been offered to Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, as per TEAMtalk.
Mateta has made it clear that he wants to leave Selhurst Park this summer. Crystal Palace, however, remain firmly opposed to selling the France international despite the possibility that he could leave for free next year.
Premier League giants have been offered Mateta
Manchester United are among the clubs to have been approached about Mateta’s availability. Michael Carrick’s side could see significant changes to their attacking department before the deadline, with Marcus Rashford’s future still up in the air and Joshua Zirkzee likely to leave. Any departure would open the door for Mateta to bolster United’s attack.
Tottenham have also been contacted and retain long-standing admiration for the striker. Spurs are close to completing deals for Manchester City’s Savinho and Omar Marmoush, but Roberto De Zerbi is still keen for more firepower.
The North London club are still looking for another forward to provide competition for Dominic Solanke, given his injury record. Mateta’s Premier League experience could make him an appealing option.
Aston Villa have likewise been made aware of Mateta’s situation as they attempt to solve their own striker problem. Villa’s striker shortage has sharpened with Ollie Watkins’s push towards Al-Hilal, leaving Unai Emery’s side without an established senior striker.
Mateta could therefore offer Villa an experienced replacement who already understands the demands of Premier League football. Mateta has sought a way out of Crystal Palace for a year. He came close in January, when moves to AC Milan and Juventus collapsed due to knee concerns.
Mateta is pushing for an exit
The French striker’s relationship with Palace has soured over a contract dispute; he challenged the validity of an additional 12 months Crystal Palace activated. He approached the Premier League tribunal and FIFA, but the contract remains valid.
He started the South London club’s opening-day defeat at Everton but missed two notable opportunities to score. Last season, his 50 appearances yielded 16 goals and 3 assists. Given his importance to their setup, Crystal Palace are not actively looking to facilitate his departure.
The Eagles would rather retain Mateta for the final year of his contract, even if that means risking his departure as a free agent next summer. With the deadline approaching, the pressure is now on Mateta’s representatives to find a club willing to meet the demands of Crystal Palace.