Jean-Philippe Mateta is currently away from Crystal Palace at the 2026 FIFA World Cup with France, but an update has now emerged on his contract situation.
The Eagles came close to selling the Frenchman in a £30m move to AC Milan back in February, only for the striker to fail his medical and return to Selhurst Park, before going on to net the winner against Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Conference League final.
Despite Mateta enjoying a redemption arc, the fact of the matter is that he only has 12 months remaining on his contract and is currently going to leave on a free transfer in 2027.
A story from the Daily Mail now states that Crystal Palace are fine with that, although the France international’s representatives are not.
What would YOU do with Mateta? 🇫🇷
Crystal Palace happy to sacrifice £30m Mateta fee but his camp still want out
Considering Steve Parish took just £20m from Manchester City to sell Marc Guehi in January rather than lose the England international for nothing, this is a surprising development.
The Daily Mail believe Crystal Palace have decided that they are prepared to let Mateta’s contract run down, and are currently feeling ‘relaxed’ about the situation as the Eagles aim not to lose the 29-year-old for peanuts this summer.
Crystal Palace would prefer to keep the former Mainz 05 striker around for the 2026/27 campaign with UEFA Europa League football to handle, and feel he represents superb value for money on a deal worth just £55,000-a-week considering he has netted 46 goals in 109 appearances since February 2024.
However, Mateta’s representatives still want to seal an exit from SE25 after coming close to arranging that £30m move to AC Milan over the winter. It is said that the man born in Sevran has also rejected contract offers worth £100,000-a-week from Crystal Palace, so he too seems intent on leaving.
Given his strong end to the season after failing the medical with AC Milan – netting six goals in 16 appearances – Crystal Palace could arguably still make £30m by selling Mateta, especially as he is on course to become a World Cup winner this summer too with France the firm favourites.
Therefore, the fact Crystal Palace are prepared to let him leave for nothing in 2027 is a risky call.
£30m is a lot of money, and should Mateta endure an underwhelming 2026/27 campaign, the decision to keep him around would undoubtedly look foolish – even more so considering £48m has already been spent to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen as his replacement.
Crystal Palace’s fixtures are out for the 2026/27 season! Which game are you most excited for? 🤔
It is a delicate situation, and it truly remains to be seen what happens once the former Lyon striker returns from the World Cup.
