Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Crystal Palace future has taken another sharp turn after a fresh report claimed the striker is targeting a Champions League move this summer.
According to Sport Witness, citing Sport BILD, Mateta is ready to leave Selhurst Park on a high after scoring the decisive goal in Palace’s Europa Conference League final win over Rayo Vallecano.
Barcelona And Manchester United Namechecked
The report states that Barcelona and Manchester United have Mateta on their radar, with the 28-year-old valued at around EUR25 million as he enters the final year of his Palace contract.
That price would place Palace in an uncomfortable position. Mateta’s stock has rarely been higher, given his France World Cup place and his European final moment, but losing him now would further reshape Pierre Sage’s attacking plan after a summer already defined by transition.
Palace would reportedly prefer to extend his deal, yet the Champions League pull changes the temperature of the talks. For a club trying to protect value while backing Sage with a balanced squad, a cut-price exit would be difficult to absorb unless a replacement is already advanced.
Read Crystal Palace’s transfer centre has already tracked a wider recruitment reset, and Mateta’s decision may now become one of the defining calls of the window.
