Crystal Palace are fighting to retain star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta until the end of the season despite the forward submitting a formal transfer request following the news of manager Oliver Glasner’s imminent departure.
The South London club has already rebuffed a loan-to-buy offer from Juventus and is currently facing pressure from Aston Villa, yet they remain reluctant to sell during a window where their “squad is being decimated right now.”
With Mateta entering the final 18 months of his contract and the club reeling from the loss of Marc Guehi to Manchester City, officials are reportedly attempting to persuade the Frenchman to stay until summer to allow more time to secure a successor.
I explained on the Transfer Insider podcast that “it looks more and more likely that Mateta will leave Palace, but they will try to persuade him to stay until the summer and then they will open the door in the summer.”
In anticipation of his eventual exit, the Eagles have accelerated their pursuit of Derby County’s Patrick Agyemang, who is valued at approximately £20 million, as they believe “they can’t afford to let their top goalscorer leave” without a verified replacement in place.