Manchester United are reportedly locked in a five-team battle for Crystal Palace‘s Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The Frenchman has been in excellent form for the Eagles during the 2024-25 campaign, scoring 16 goals and registering three assists in 36 appearances in all competitions, including 13 goals and two assists in 36 Premier League outings.
Mateta is out of contract in the summer of 2026, though, and there is currently a host of speculation surrounding his future, with Man United believed to be keen to sign him during the upcoming market.
According to TEAMtalk, the 20-time English champions are locked in a five-club battle, with Nottingham Forest, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid also believed to be keen on his services.
The report claims that Palace would be willing to let the striker leave for a fee in the region of £40m, making him a bargain considering his strike rate this season, proving to be one of the best attackers in the Premier League.
Man United ‘battling four clubs’ for Palace striker Mateta
Mateta made the move to Palace from Mainz 05 in January 2021, initially on loan, before completing a permanent move in 2022.
In total, the striker has scored 45 goals in 142 appearances for the Eagles in all competitions, in addition to contributing five assists, while his Premier League record reads 37 goals and eight assists in 122 outings.
Palace will, for obvious reasons, be desperate to keep hold of Mateta, but a sale in the region of £40m would do a lot for the club’s finances, so it is not impossible to imagine him being sold this summer.
Would Mateta be a good signing for Man United?
Man United need to bring a new centre-forward to the club during this summer’s transfer window, with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggling to make their mark during the 2024-25 campaign.
Mateta is proven in the Premier League, and the Red Devils would not have to break the bank to sign him.
That said, it would be a surprise if the Frenchman was signed as Man United’s main forward, with two potentially being required if either Hojlund or Zirkzee depart at the end of the campaign.
There will be space in the Man United budget for some big-money signings, with Antony, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho among those set to leave, and bringing in Mateta alongside another forward would leave the Red Devils in a strong position ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
