Crystal Palace make Jean-Philippe Mateta transfer decision amid contract uncertainty

Crystal Palace are increasingly likely to sell Jean-Philippe Mateta in the summer as talks over a new contract for the striker fail to progress.

The 28-year-old is enjoying another good season with the Eagles, scoring seven goals in 13 Premier League appearances and netting nine times in all competitions.

After a slow start to life in south London, he has become a reliable goal-scorer in the English top flight, with 16 league goals in the 2023/24 season and 14 last campaign.

The France international’s current contract runs until the end of the 2026/27 season and there have been talks over a new deal, but they are not progressing.

If there is no breakthrough in negotiations then the striker will go into the final year of his contract in the summer and an exit is increasingly likely.

The Sun report that Crystal Palace are now open to selling Mateta in the summer of 2026, keen to avoid losing a star player on a free transfer.

Captain Marc Guehi remains at the club, but his contract expires in the summer and is set to depart, unless Palace try and cash in during the January window.

If they do lose a regular England starter on a free transfer it will be a serious blow for the Eagles and one which chairman Steve Parish admitted the club could not really afford.

Speaking during the last transfer window, Parish said of needing to cash in on Guehi: ‘We’d have to do that, of course. For players of that calibre to leave on a free, it’s a problem for us unfortunately.

‘Joachim [Andersen] went [to Fulham last summer] and we couldn’t afford to lose both. We then had another bid [for Guehi] in January but that was a different situation.

‘We’ll just have to see what happens. But, you know, it needs a new contract or a conclusion of some kind.’

The resolution was that Guehi very nearly signed for Liverpool but the deal collapsed at the last minute as Palace had not secured a replacement.

So Parish’s fears were realised and he does not want the same to happen with Mateta, which makes an exit in 2026 very plausible.

AC Milan have been touted as suitors for the Frenchman, while it has been suggested that Manchester United would benefit from having Mateta in their ranks.

Former Arsenal, Manchester City and France full-back Bacary Sagna talked up the win-win situation of a switch to Old Trafford.

‘It would make sense if Jean-Philippe Mateta went to Manchester United,’ Sagna told Oddspedia.

‘They don’t really have a No9 who is tall, can hold the ball and can get on the end of crosses.

‘It could be difficult for him as a new player coming into a club where there are a lot of new players and transferring his skills across from Crystal Palace, but a move to Old Trafford would be good for him and the club.

‘It will also be difficult for Palace to keep hold of him, and it’s the right moment for him to move if he wants the test of playing for one of the biggest teams in the Premier League.

‘He’s not a young player anymore and it might be one of the last moves of his career, so he will probably push for it if the opportunity arises.’