Crystal Palace star ‘wants to leave’ in shocking transfer bombshell - he’s under contract until 2027
Crystal Palace face a battle to retain one of their prized assets, according to reports
Highly-rated Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has reportedly expressed a desire to leave Selhurst Park in the near future.
It’s reported by talkSPORT that the 28-year-old faces an uncertain future with the Eagles as he approaches the final 18 months of his contract with the football club.
Mateta first joined the club on loan back in 2021. He has been prolific for the football club over the course of the last two and half years. He’s currently the team’s leading scorer this term with seven goals in 13 league appearances, while he also netted in the club’s Europa Conference League play-off match against Fredrikstad to help fire the club into a campaign on the continent for the first ever time.
Jean-Philippe Mateta keen to explore his options - report
French international Mateta faces an increasingly uncertain future at Crystal Palace. He’s widely reported to be the subject of strong interest from various football clubs in Italy, including AC Milan, who are in the process of an exciting rebuild under Massimiliano Allegri in his second stint at the San Siro.
The Rossoneri are currently top of Serie A after 13 matches and find themselves in a brilliant position to secure a return to the Champions League after a disappointing eighth place finish last term.
Santiago Gimenez, Rafael Leao and Christopher Nkunku are their current forward options at the club, while former Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic also chips in with goals and assists from the No.10 position.
The club last won the league title in 2022 and are keen to get back to their former glory after watching Inter Milan and Napoli have success in recent years.
What does the future hold for Jean-Philippe Mateta in January?
Crystal Palace are known for driving a hard bargain when it comes to player sales. They retained club captain Marc Guehi over the summer despite strong interest from Premier League champions Liverpool after also turning down offers from Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in previous windows beforehand.
They face a battle to keep the England international again this summer and face a dilemma on whether to keep him at the club and lose him on a free or cash in at the last opportunity to pick up some funds.
For the time being, Mateta is not thought to be at risk of leaving Palace, at least not in January. He’s not pushing too hard for a move away, but has shown a reluctance to sign an extension amid a desire to explore other avenues after the 2020 World Cup.
Realistically speaking, a sale involving Mateta is more likely to take place over the summer, where Palace must decide whether to cash in on their top scorer or lose him on a free. Mateta has an overall record of 55 goals in 174 appearances for the Eagles, with 45 of those coming since the start of the 2023/24 campaign.