Jean-Philippe Mateta during Crystal Palace's Premier League match vs Fulham. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has been offered to Turkish giants Fenerbahce, according to reports.
Mateta enjoyed a stunning run of form under Oliver Glasner at the end of last season, netting 13 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances of the campaign.
This season has been more of a struggle for the Frenchman, who has only scored three times in 12 league appearances — although that record does extend to five goals in 15 across all competitions.
Mateta has made no secret of the fact there was interest in his services over the summer, with Palace ultimately unwilling to sell having already allowed Michael Olise to move to Bayern Munich.
More recently, Liverpool have been heavily linked with the Olympic silver medalist’s signature.
Jean-Philippe Mateta offered to Fenerbahce
Jean-Philippe Mateta following Crystal Palace’s match vs Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Mateta currently earns £50k per week at Selhurst Park, according to Capology, placing him well below the club’s highest earners like Daichi Kamada (£105k per week), Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson (both £100k per week).
The striker is understood to be demanding a pay rise to reflect his form over the past year. However, in an interesting twist, reports are now emerging that Mateta has been offered to Super Lig powerhouse Fenerbahce.
According to Sabah (via We Are Palace), an unknown source — most likely the player’s agent — has sent Mateta to Jose Mourinho’s side as a potential replacement for former Man City striker Edin Dzeko.
Fenerbahce are currently second in the Super Lig table, five points adrift of arch-rivals Galatasaray, who boast a star-studded attack that includes Victor Osimhen, Dries Mertens and Baris Yilmaz.
It would be no surprise to see the Yellow Canaries make a statement signing in the summer in a bid to keep up with their Istanbul counterparts. With Mateta about to enter the final 18 months of his contract, it would be interesting to see how Palace handle any negotiations.