France striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has informed Crystal Palace that he wants to leave the club. The 28-year-old forward is attracting interest from Premier League and European clubs, including Aston Villa and Juventus.
Mateta has 18 months remaining on his current Selhurst Park contract. He has confirmed he will not be signing an extension.
Italian giants Juventus reportedly tried to sign the striker this month but failed to meet Palaceβs valuation, which is believed to be around Β£40 million. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have shown renewed interest in a move for Mateta during the same period.
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner stated that the club is open to offers for the striker.
βThere will be a price that Crystal Palace [accept], with 18 months left on his contract. We’d do the deal if JP wants. If nobody pays that price, then he will stay,β Glasner said.
Glasner, who announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, criticized the clubβs recruitment strategy after a recent loss to Sunderland, saying the team had been βabandonedβ by the hierarchy.
Palace have experienced significant squad changes recently. They sold star midfielder Eberechi Eze to Arsenal in the summer and lost captain Marc Guehi in January to Manchester City for Β£20 million.
The team also suffered a shock FA Cup exit against non-league side Macclesfield earlier this month, one of the tournamentβs biggest upsets.
If Mateta leaves, Palace will need to replace a key attacking option. The French forwardβs departure could reshape the teamβs strategy for the remainder of the Premier League season. Premier League rivals and European clubs are closely monitoring the situation.
