The 27-year-old French international bagged his 13th Premier League goal yesterday. He opened the scoring after three minutes during Palace’s 2-1 triumph over bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
His exploits this term has recently prompted serious interest from Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest.
Mateta joined Crystal Palace on loan from German Bundesliga side Mainz in January 2021. Despite only notching three goals in 15 appearances for the Londoners, there was sudden interest from a clutch of French top tier teams.
The Eagles swiftly signed Mateta in February 2021. The €10.6 million (US$11.6m) outlay for a four-and-a-half-year deal now seems like a snip. It was initiated by Patrick Vieira, who is now in charge at mid-table Genoa.
Silverware beckons for Mateta
Livewire Mateta has hit 16 goals in 36 games this season. He is expected to add more, as Palace tackle an FA Cup semi-final showdown with in-form Aston Villa this month and have eight Premier League matches remaining.
Atletico Madrid, the inaugural club to show interest in Mateta, have their eyes on Juventus target Antony. The Spanish outfit’s head coach Diego Simeone was alerted to Antony's versatility and skillset, as the Manchester United loan has sparkled in La Liga with Real Betis this year.
Bayern Munich are also interested in Antony. The German giants will wave goodbye to the legendary Thomas Muller at the end of the campaign, and maybe England striker Harry Kane too.
Bayern are monitoring Mateta, with head coach Vincent Kompany keen to reunite the French forward with his former Palace team-mate Michael Olise.
United rival Juve for two forwards
Manchester United have added Mateta to their summer transfer wishlist that includes Lille’s Jonathan David, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, Napoli’s exiled Victor Osimhen and Juve’s Dusan Vlahovic.
United manager Ruben Amorim is expected to revamp his squad, and has hot-shot Lookman on his radar. The former Everton, Fulham and Leicester City winger has impressed in Serie A this term.
Juve remain long-term admirers and have Lookman high on their shopping list, although it is suspected that Atalanta would prefer not to give a rival added firepower. There’s plenty of Premier League interest in Lookman.
The London-born Nigeria international looked as though he would move to Paris Saint-Germain after a verbal agreement last summer, but the deal never materialised.
Premier League race for no10
As the Ligue 1 outfit secured the signature of Georgia forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli in January, and should see Kolo Muani return from his loan at Juventus, then a summer swoop for Lookman appears unlikely.
That paves the way for United to sign the Mateta to fill the no10 role, although Nottingham Forest and Juventus are big rivals for his signature.
Forest, a surprise Premier League package this term, are eager to bolster their squad as they should qualify for next season’s Champions League. Lookman, Mateta and Vlahovic are among the forwards under consideration for ex-Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo.