Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly showing the ‘strongest interest’ in signing Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, as per Caught Offside.
The 28-year-old initially moved to Selhurst Park from German side Mainz on loan back in 2021 before the move became permanent in the following year. At first, the Frenchman took time to settle into the physicality of the Premier League, but he has been in excellent form since Oliver Glasner’s arrival as the manager.
The forward made more than 20 goal contributions across all competitions in the last two seasons; moreover, he guided his team to win the FA Cup and Community Shield recently.
Mateta has continued to showcase his goal-scoring prowess this season, scoring seven goals in 13 appearances in all tournaments.
Now, Caught Offside claim that the Frenchman has entered the final two years of his current contract, and Crystal Palace want to keep hold of him by tying him down to a fresh term.
However, Mateta doesn’t want to prolong his stay at the South London club as he is keen to take the next step in his career. So, Glasner’s side would be open to letting him leave in January for a fee of around £40m.
Battle
Despite purchasing Benjamin Sesko this summer, Man Utd are planning to buy a new striker and are showing the ‘strongest interest’ in signing the Crystal Palace star.
However, the report say that purchasing the France international won’t be straightforward for the Old Trafford club as Newcastle United and Tottenham are also keen on him.
United currently have Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee as striker options, but it appears Ruben Amorim hasn’t been convinced by the Dutchman. So, he has found it difficult to play thus far this season.
On the other hand, Tottenham have been without their first-choice striker, Dominic Solanke, during the first few months of this season due to injury problems.
So, purchasing a Premier League-proven player like Mateta would be a shrewd acquisition for Man Utd or Tottenham should either club purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the North London club or the Red Devils eventually make a concrete approach to secure his services next year.
