'Desperate' - Crystal Palace braced to make decision on star man amid £50m Man United transfer interest

Crystal Palace had a tough time in January trying to keep hold of star defender Marc Guehi, who was subject to transfer interest from Tottenham, Newcastle and Chelsea.

Palace rejected a bid by Spurs to sign Guehi, coming the window after they lost attacker Michael Olise to Bayern Munich. Furthermore, there has been reported interest in Eberechi Eze in the summer, which could re-ignite.

However, now, there is another Palace star that Oliver Glasner will need to try and keep hold of amid reports that Man United are circling among others to sign one of his players in the summer window.

Palace make contract decision on Jean-Philippe Mateta

Mateta has been one of the most in-form strikers in Europe over the past few weeks. He netted two goals in the last Premier League game which was a 2-0 win against Manchester United. The Frenchman’s contract at Selhurst Park is due to expire in June 2026, meaning that clubs would be looking to sign him in the summer with just one-year left on his contract.

However, according to Football Insider, Crystal Palace are desperate to keep hold of the striker, and will hold contract talks with Mateta in the summer, hoping to land him on a long-term deal, in order to fend off interest from clubs. The report suggests that Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Lyon are all keen on Mateta, with several Premier League clubs also interested in signing the 27-year-old.

He has scored 13 goals for Palace this season, including 10 in the Premier League, making the Frenchman the 10th top scorer in the division, level on goals with Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins. The Eagles hope to tie Mateta down to a long-term deal so that they won’t be forced to sell him in the summer in order to make a profit, as he could become the latest Palace star to leave the club amid interest from top European sides.

His market value is just £16.6m according to TransferMarkt, a price which Palace would likely not want to sell him for considering how valuable he has been for Glasner’s side this season in terms of scoring goals. They have reportedly placed a hefty £50m transfer price on Mateta.

Man United tipped to sign Mateta

During the 2-0 win against Manchester United, the striker grabbed all the headlines by scoring both goals at Old Trafford. He helped Glasner’s side to their fourth win in five games. However, following the game, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson said on Sky Sports, that Man United should make a move for the 27-year-old in the summer considering their struggles to score this season.

He said: “Man United should get Mateta, that’s what they need. He’s a strong lad up front, playing at the top of his game, he leads the line, scoring goals now. He runs and works his socks off harder than anyone you know. He’s 100 times better than anyone Man Utd have in the front line. Not Amad, he’s a young kid – but he’s much better than Hojlund and Zirkzee at the moment.”

In other news, one of Crystal Palace’s young wingers has attracted interest from Bundesliga side Bayern Munich.