Crystal Palace may now be willing to accept just £7 million for Jean-Philippe Mateta with Premier League rivals Everton admirers of the Selhurst Park striker.
With all due respect to a player Crystal Palace signed from Mainz back in January 2022, suggestions that he remains on Everton’s radar leading into the summer transfer window will not exactly fill Toffees supporters with too much optimism.
Only Wolves (31) scored fewer Premier League goals than Sean Dyche’s side (34) last season. Jean-Philippe Mateta’s very underwhelming return during 18 months in South London, meanwhile, hardly suggests he is the man to fire Everton up the table once again.
The former France U21 international has only seven league goals in Palace colours, even if he has started only 19 games in that time.
Everton could move for Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta
Nonetheless, Everton remain interested (Sun on Sunday, 11 June, page 56). The Merseysiders failed with two last-gasp bids for Mateta on the final day of the January window. But, with Tuttosport reporting that Crystal Palace may now consider offers of just £7 million, it could be a classic case of third time lucky.
Money is in short supply at Goodison Park. But not to the extent that they cannot stump up a fee of £7 million; Mateta far more affordable than the likes of Beto, Viktor Gyokeres and Antonio ‘Toni’ Sanabria, all of whom have been linked over recent weeks.
Speaking of Sanabria, reports from Italy suggest that he could be on his way to Crystal Palace in a deal that may see Mateta go in the opposite direction. Torino are reportedly in talks with the 6ft 4ins Frenchman.
Mateta, in his defence, did arrive at Selhurst Park with a prolific track record in the Bundesliga. He scored 14 times in Germany’s top flight during a career-best 2018/19 season, and hit 10 in 17 games during his final few months at Mainz.
If Dyche can recapture that form – the Everton boss coaxed double-figure seasons out of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes at Burnley – then who is to say Mateta cannot find goals easier to come by in blue?