Jean-Philippe Mateta has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave the club in the January transfer window after interest from Manchester United and Premier League clubs
14:38, 21 Jan 2026
LONDON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 18: Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Crystal Palace FC and KuPS Kuopio at Selhurst Park on December 18, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
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Jean-Philippe Mateta has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave(Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Jean-Philippe Mateta has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave the club following interest from Premier League and European clubs.
The France striker, 28, is in the final 18 months of his contract at Selhurst Park and doesn’t show any intention to sign a new deal with the Eagles. It has been a turbulent month for Palace, with captain Marc Guehi joining Manchester City for £30million and manager Oliver Glasner announcing he would step down at the end of the season.
Mateta has received interest this month from Italian giants Juventus and Aston Villa. However, Palace’s asking price, believed to be £40m, has failed to have been reached so far.
Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace
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Jean-Philippe Mateta wants to leave Crystal Palace (Image: Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
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The Turin side have been in talks over signing Mateta this month but have seen their offer of an initial loan move with an obligation to buy for €33million (£28.8m) rejected. Gazzetta dello Sport report that Palace are demanding a straight transfer.
Manchester United have also showed interest in Mateta over the past two seasons as his form saw him become one of the league’s most prolific goalscorers.
Speaking last week, Glasner admitted that the club are listening to offers for Mateta. He said: "There will be a price that Crystal Palace [accept], with 18 months left on his contract. We'd do the deal, if JP wants. If nobody pays that price, then he will stay.”
Glasner looked as though he was set to leave Palace with immediate effect over the weekend after his scathing comments aimed at the board following the 2-1 defeat against Sunderland.
His anger was sparked by Guehi being made unavailable for the trip to the Stadium of Light the day before the game, a similar situation to when Eberechi Eze was sold by the club to Arsenal for £67.5m.
"I feel we are being abandoned completely,” Glasner said after the Sunderland defeat. “Because I can't play many players. They did everything they could and this has been going on for weeks and months now. And we have 12, 13 players from the squad available and we feel no support.”
Asked why he felt abandoned, Glasner replied: “It's pretty clear, yeah? It's pretty clear. Again, I didn't sell anyone. If you get your heart torn out twice this season, one day before a game, it was with [Eberechi] Eze in summer, it was with Guehi now, you know?
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"What should I tell the players all the time? What should I tell them? And then I see the performance today for 50, 60 minutes, today it was not easy with all the circumstances going here with 12 players from the squad, and yes then you have 15, 20 minutes when you are under pressure, you concede the goal, I look at the bench, I can't react, just kids on the bench, and this has not happened yesterday, this is weeks ago. That's why I'm really frustrated today.”