Crystal Palace have already lost Michael Olise this summer and Marc Guehi could soon follow.
However, the status of Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park has also been much discussed all summer long, with there being interest in his signature prior to his high-scoring Olympics participation.
Mateta has been linked with clubs like Napoli and Roma already this summer, meanwhile, Aston Villa have also shown an interest.
Crystal Palace won’t want to see Mateta go, with his form at the end of last season making him an unstoppable force in attack for Oliver Glasner’s team.
But now, his attitude during contract talks could be a sign he is pushing for an exit from Selhurst Park.
What Mateta did during contract talks
Crystal Palace won’t have been happy with how contract talks with Mateta have gone thus far with an agreement a long way from being reached.
According to The Athletic, the two parties are ‘significantly apart’ in negotiations right now which has prompted Mateta to walk away from talks for the time being.
The report continues to explain that Mateta doesn’t actually find himself in a strong negotiating position at Palace which could be why the club are not caving to his demands.
Mateta has two years remaining on his current £50k-a-week contract, along with a further year being an option for the club – this could take him past his 30th birthday.
Due to this, Palace are probably not willing to give him a massive pay rise especially considering his form has only lasted three months at the moment.
Palace are unlikely to sell Mateta this summer regardless of interest due to a lack of options and instead, he will stay and be fighting to impress enough to earn the contract he desires next season.
- READ MORE: Crystal Palace confirmed signings, transfer ins and outs, loans and releases for 2024 summer window
How Mateta could earn a contract at Crystal Palace
While Palace are not agreeing on a new deal right now, this could all change if Mateta carries his excellent goal-scoring ability into the 2024/25 season under Glasner.
Mateta scored 10 goals in his last eight games of the season, finishing with 16 in total and five assists – the goal tally alone tripling his goals in the league for Palace prior.
If he carries on like this, the Eagles will be forced into a position where they can not deny him the contract he wants.
We will have to wait and see if there are any more developments around Mateta’s contract, but for now, he is probably focused on winning gold for France.
