Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is in dispute with the club regarding the final of year of his contract.
The crux of the dispute surrounds the validity of a contract extension option for Mateta, one which Palace exercised in December 2024. That option extended his deal by a further year, meaning the Frenchman is out of contract next summer instead of having been available as a free agent at the end of last season.
Palace had held ongoing discussions with the 29-year-old over a new contract, with several offers on the table throughout 2024 and 2025 but none were sufficient to reach an agreement. The two parties were significantly apart, meaning Palace took action to tie him down for a further year, until June 2027, thereby protecting his value.
He took his case to the Premier League, arguing that the contract was not valid. While the outcome was not made public, sources briefed on the case, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told The Athletic an independent tribunal determined earlier this year that the contract did in fact remain valid. Mateta then sought recourse from world governing body FIFA’s dispute resolution chamber who ruled that they did not have jurisdiction to hear any case, according to sources briefed on the decision.
As long as the summer transfer window remains open a move for Mateta remains possible. But Palace have been content to allow him to see out his contract if their asking price is not met. The knee injury which scuppered a move to AC Milan during the winter transfer window could continue to crop up as a factor in any potential move. That deal would have been worth more than €30million (£26m; $35.6m) before the Italian side pulled out following concerns after medical checks.
After seeking the advice of several consultants, including one with whom he had worked at former club Mainz, he did not undergo knee surgery in the hope that a longer period of rest would allow for sufficient healing and give him the best chance of being part of the France squad for the World Cup in the summer.
That was successful and he was named in Didier Deschamps’ squad, although played only three times as a substitute, totalling 21 minutes as his side were knocked out by Spain in the semi-finals.
Palace signed Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a club-record initial £43m and he has scored four times since his January move.
Mateta has loose interest from Aston Villa should they sell Ollie Watkins, but he is one of several on their list. Palace are unlikely to sell him unless they receive a fee in the same region as that which Milan had offered, which would offset some of the cost of bringing in Strand Larsen, while an obvious impasse continues in those talks over a new contract.
