Just a couple of weeks ago, Crystal Palace won arguably the greatest prize in their entire history when they won the Europa Conference League – now, however, the Eagles face a summer of great uncertainty.
Some of their top players could leave Selhurst Park in the coming weeks. One of them is Jean-Phillipe Mateta, who has been linked with a host of top clubs.
Back in January, Mateta expressed his desire to leave Palace, though he would ultimately remain with the club until the end of the season. Now, with the summer transfer window just about to open its doors, his efforts to secure a move away are likely to resume.
Recently, Juventus have reignited their interest in the French international and could look to snap him up as a replacement for the outgoing Dusan Vlahovic, according to a recent report from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.
However, the Old Lady aren’t the only club in the race. Manchester United could make a bid to sign the player to replace Joshua Zirkzee [via CaughtOffside], while Nottingham Forest are also considered to be outside contenders [via Football Insider].
With just one year left on Mateta’s existing contract, he could be secured for a relatively affordable price – certain sources believe he could leave the Eagles for a fee as little as £25 million.
Jean-Phillipe Mateta 2025/26 Premier League stats
Games Goals Assists Yellow Cards Red Cards
J. Mateta 32 12 0 2 0
While Mateta had a decent season in 2025/26, one could say that he underperformed somewhat. He scored 12 Premier League goals – a respectable tally – but this was two goals fewer than he could muster in the season previous (14). Furthermore, he scored four goals fewer than the amount he netted in 2023/24 (16).
One may look at this and believe that Mateta is on the decline. His goals tally in the Europa Conference League wasn’t enormously inspiring, either, finding the back of the net just two times in 12 appearances. He did, however, register three assists and scored the winning goal in the final against Rayo Vallecano.
Nevertheless, his start to life in the French international team has been positive – he has scored two goals in his first four games for Les Bleus and is set to take part in the 2026 World Cup.
Who would benefit the most from Mateta’s arrival?
Of course, Nottingham Forest would probably have the most use for Mateta, given their current predicament. They spent most of the previous season embroiled in a relegation battle – as such, they need to make improvements to their squad.
But would Mateta want to move to Forest? For us, this seems like a sideways move – or even a backwards one. Forest will not be partaking in European football next season, unlike Palace – however, if they can throw an almighty amount of money at him, his head could be turned.
Manchester United already have a top striker on their books in the form of Benjamin Sesko – Mateta will not want to play second fiddle to anyone at this stage of his career.
Juventus have a few strikers of their own already embedded into the squad, though none of them were enormously success last season. Lois Openda scored just one goal last season, while Arkadiusz Milik was injured for the vast majority of the campaign.
Jonathan David enjoyed a decent season, but Mateta offers something different to his skillset. David is a small, pacey forward, while Mateta is more of targetman – furthermore, he’d likely be the star of the show at the Allianz Stadium. For us, Mateta should move to Juve.