Crystal Palace have dropped Jean-Philippe Mateta from their squad for Sunday's match against Nottingham Forest due to uncertainty over his future at the club. Manager Oliver Glasner described Mateta as "not at his best" and said he wouldn't be travelling with the team, citing the striker's need for rest as a result of the recent speculation surrounding his transfer.
The decision comes despite reports that Milan are hoping to complete a deal for Mateta, who has been linked with a move to Serie A in an effort to boost his chances of making it into the World Cup squad this summer. Palace are believed to be considering the Italian club's offer, which is said to be worth up to £35m.
Glasner made it clear that Palace are keen to keep Mateta, but emphasized the importance of having every player at their best on the pitch. "You need every single player at his best, and JP isn't at his best right now with all the noise that happens," he said.
Meanwhile, discussions over Jørgen Strand Larsen's potential move to Palace are still ongoing, although a £45m deal plus £5m in add-ons is seen as a significant hurdle for the club. The Norwegian striker would need to leave Mateta behind, but concerns have been raised about paying such a fee, which would break the club's record of £35m spent on Brennan Johnson this month.
Palace have been busy on the transfer front, with two bids for Sidiki Cherif rebuffed by Angers and the 19-year-old striker informing the French club that he prefers to join Fenerbahce. The club are also considering a move for Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, although West Ham's interest in the defender could pose a challenge.
The transfer window is rapidly approaching its deadline, with Palace working tirelessly to bring in new signings. While Mateta remains at the club, it's unclear whether he will stay or leave, and the team will need to be ready for either scenario.
The decision comes despite reports that Milan are hoping to complete a deal for Mateta, who has been linked with a move to Serie A in an effort to boost his chances of making it into the World Cup squad this summer. Palace are believed to be considering the Italian club's offer, which is said to be worth up to £35m.
Glasner made it clear that Palace are keen to keep Mateta, but emphasized the importance of having every player at their best on the pitch. "You need every single player at his best, and JP isn't at his best right now with all the noise that happens," he said.
Meanwhile, discussions over Jørgen Strand Larsen's potential move to Palace are still ongoing, although a £45m deal plus £5m in add-ons is seen as a significant hurdle for the club. The Norwegian striker would need to leave Mateta behind, but concerns have been raised about paying such a fee, which would break the club's record of £35m spent on Brennan Johnson this month.
Palace have been busy on the transfer front, with two bids for Sidiki Cherif rebuffed by Angers and the 19-year-old striker informing the French club that he prefers to join Fenerbahce. The club are also considering a move for Taylor Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, although West Ham's interest in the defender could pose a challenge.
The transfer window is rapidly approaching its deadline, with Palace working tirelessly to bring in new signings. While Mateta remains at the club, it's unclear whether he will stay or leave, and the team will need to be ready for either scenario.
! I mean, I know they dropped Jean-Philippe Mateta from the team, but I think it was a good call from Oliver Glasner 
. The guy just isn't firing on all cylinders right now and it's not fair to the rest of the team if he's still playing 
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He would be an amazing signing for Palace! I've been following him since his breakout season and I'm so down for him to join the team 
. £45m is a lot, but I think it's worth it if he can bring that level of quality to SE25 
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. West Ham are sniffing around and that would be a massive blow for Palace. But maybe they'll manage to pull him off the line? 
Fingers crossed, guys! 
anyway, i think its cool that palace r considering an offer from milan cuz we dont no what kinda impact JP will have in the world cup this summer anyway, lets just hope they get a decent deal so we dont see him go 
. One minute one player is supposedly leaving, the next they're staying because the team needs them... it's just so frustrating 
. And what's with all these "hurdles" and "add-ons" that are holding up deals? Can't these clubs just make a decision already?! 
Palace is supposed to be working tirelessly to bring in new signings, but I think they're more worried about getting rid of someone they don't want anymore... it's like, can't you just get on with it and focus on the matches?! 
Crystal Palace are getting torn apart by their own transfer drama... They gotta sort out this Jean-Philippe Mateta situation ASAP, 'cause if they don't get a deal done with Milan, he's gonna be off in the summer and that'll be a major blow to their squad. And now they're trying to sweet-talk Jørgen Strand Larsen into joining for £45m? Please 
jean philippe mateta is literally my favorite player and i'm gonna be so sad if he leaves 
️ i mean i get what oliver glasner is saying about needing all players to be at their best, but can't they just make it work for mateta? 
the italian club's offer sounds crazy tho £35m is a lot of cash 
i'm keeping my fingers crossed that palace can find a way to keep mateta and bring in some fresh talent too 
but yeah you gotta prioritize your players' form on the pitch ya know? 
having every single player at their best makes all the difference in those big matches 
...1.5 mil on brennan johnson 2 days ago and now hes not at his best? 
this makes no sense to me...they got £35m for him from milan, but they can just use that money to buy larsen or someone else instead...palace is gonna regret this decision 
And now Palace are considering selling him for £35m? That's a pretty big chunk of change. 
hope he finds new club ASAP so he can get back on track 
He's been going through so much lately with all the transfer rumors and I just wanna give him a big hug! 
It's totally understandable that the gaffer wants every player at their best, but it's still sad to see him sitting out the match against Forest. 
. I know the coach said he needs rest, but £35m is a lot of dough 
. I'd be all for breaking the record, but we can't afford to overpay 
palace is really strugglin' 2 keep their squad together w/ all these transfer rumors goin on 
it's like they're tryna make a deal or somethin but JP's not even performin at his best 
palace is all over the map, switching between wanting mateta back and selling him to milan (lol) meanwhile they're also trying to sort out larsen's move which sounds super confusing 
. Meanwhile, they've had a decent run without him, winning 3 and drawing 1 in the same period 
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