Jean-Philippe Mateta could be one of the biggest movers on January transfer deadline day but the Crystal Palace striker’s potential move to AC Milan hangs in the balance, per Fabrizio Romano on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness. The French striker is eager to make the move to the San Siro, but the Serie A giants have concerns over his fitness.
The 28-year-old informed Palace earlier this month that he wanted to leave and join a club competing in the UEFA Champions League. He was linked with a move to Aston Villa, but Milan moved ahead in the race to sign the Frenchman.
The Rossoneri reached an agreement with the Premier League club to sign Mateta, and he rejected Nottingham Forest after agreeing on personal terms with the Italians. But problems have arisen with his medical, which could jeopardize a potential switch to the European heavyweights.
Crystal Palace’s Mateta Milan Medical Update
Romano gave an update on Mateta’s proposed move to Milan and whether the Serie A giants will go ahead with the deal. He said on GIVEMESPORT’s Market Madness:
“I can tell you the deal five minutes ago, the second part of the medical is still ongoing. So let’s see what Milan decide to do. There is an agreement in principle between Milan and Crystal Palace, so everything is ok between clubs, and with player, agents, commission, salary, so everything is ready and Mateta wants to go to Milan, but yesterday the first part of medical was not what Milan expected so they wanted to do another check and this is underway in Paris. This could obviously impact Strand Larsen move to Crystal Palace. Strand Larsen already did his medical as Palace player.”
Mateta has been at Palace since early 2022, when he arrived from German outfit Mainz, and he has become one of their greatest strikers. He played a key role in the FA Cup triumph last season, helping fire Oliver Glasner’s side to their first trophy.
The Eagles’ success has led to their star men being targeted by top European clubs, and Mateta could follow Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi out of the Selhurst Park exit door. Eze joined Arsenal last summer for £67.5m, and Guehi moved to Manchester City in a £20m deal earlier this month.
Mateta hasn’t been at his best this season, managing just eight goals in 23 league games, and his drop in form has coincided with speculation about his departure. He was left out of Glasner’s squad for a 1-1 draw away to Forest on Sunday (January 1st) as he headed to Paris for his Milan medical.