Crystal Palace set price for Jean-Philippe Mateta amid Premier League interest

Jean-Philippe Mateta is on the shortlist of Barcelona and several Premier League sides but they’ll have to pay a hefty price to sign the Crystal Palace star. Mateta has enjoyed an incredible transformation over the past 12 months, going from virtual unknown to one of the most in-form strikers in the world. Since Oliver Glasner’s arrival at Selhurst Park, the 27-year-old has scored 26 goals in 41 appearances, including six in his last five Premier League games.

He also scored five goals for France en route to winning a silver medal at last summer’s Olympic games in Paris. This form has put Mateta on the radar of some of Europe’s biggest clubs, with reports from Spain claiming that Barcelona are interested as they look for an alternative to veteran goal scorer Robert Lewandowski. The Sun now say that Lyon want to make a move for the Frenchman, which would be controversial as the Ligue 1 club’s owner John Textor is also Palace’s largest shareholder.

Lyon may well be able to offer Mateta the chance to play in European competition but it should be noted that Textor is also in the process of selling his stake in the south London side. It is also said that several Premier League teams are keeping tabs after contract talks between Palace and the player stalled. The Eagles did recently trigger the option to extend Mateta’s current deal, which now runs until 2027, but if they were to sell this summer they would reportedly want at least £50million.

While they would stand to make a significant profit after signing Mateta for just £9m from Mainz in 2022, Palace have no interest in letting their talisman leave, with Glasner already bracing himself for the departure of another key player in Marc Guehi. Tottenham had a £70m bid for the England centre-back rejected in January but he will almost certainly leave Selhurst Park this summer with his contract expiring in 2026.

As for Mateta, it is no known which Premier League clubs are interested but it was recently suggested that Manchester United should sign him after he scored a brace in Palace’s 2-0 win at Old Trafford. ‘Man United should get Mateta, that’s what they need,’ ex-Arsenal and England winger Paul Merson told Sky Sports. ‘He’s a strong lad up front, playing at the top of his game, he leads the line, scoring goals now. He runs and works his socks off harder than anyone you know.

‘He’s 100 times better than anyone Man Utd have in the front line. Not Amad, he’s a young kid – but he’s much better than Hojlund and Zirkzee at the moment.’. Mateta will have another chance to impress when Palace travel to Doncaster Rovers in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday night. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.