Jean-Philippe Mateta
Jean-Philippe Mateta has claimed that the final year of his Crystal Palace contract is legally invalid.
Mateta’s claim refers to the remaining ten months on his Palace contract, which expires in June 2027.
Upon joining Palace in January 2022, Mateta signed a contract which ran until the summer of 2026. Palace retained the option to extend for a further 12 months, which they activated in 2024.
Standard Sport understands Mateta and his representatives disputed the validity of the extension and last season took their complaints to a Premier League tribunal, who ruled that the contract remained binding.
Mateta escalated the dispute to FIFA, the world football governing body, who ruled that they did not have jurisdiction over the matter.
If Mateta had been successful, it could have changed his status from Palace employee to free agent before next summer. The current transfer window is still open in England until September 1 and a sale is still possible if there is a buyer and if Palace then sanction his exit.
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Aston Villa - who appear set to lose striker Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabia - have held long-standing interest in Mateta, dating back to 2024, and were interested in a deal in January before signing Tammy Abraham.
Mateta has been the club’s most important goalscorer of the past five years, but the player’s representatives have regularly explored exit opportunities for the 29-year-old, including during prolonged, and ultimately fruitless, new contract talks between 2024 and 2025.
The France international came close to joining AC Milan in January but a knee injury saw the move break down in the final stages.
Mateta started Palace’s first game of the Premier League season on Saturday as they fell to a 2-0 defeat at Everton in new head coach Pierre Sage’s first competitive match in charge.
Standard Sport have approached Mateta’s representatives, Palace and FIFA for comment.