Ornstein: Premier League high-flyers ignite pursuit of 46-goal forward who’s on INEOS’ shortlist

Aston Villa have today begun pursuing a move for Crystal Palace wantaway Jean Philippe-Mateta.Transfer expert David Ornstein confirmed the news this afternoon, adding that Palace are, in turn, sizing up a deal for 24-year-old Villa forward Evann Guessand. EXCL🚨 Aston Villa have expressed an interest in Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta, with Palace weighing up a move in the opposite direction for Evann Guessand, who the south London club were pursuing last summer. Villa’s interest in Mateta comes as head coach Unai… pic.twitter.com/7kFG5gMgYA — The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) January 20, 2026Jean-Philippe Mateta: The state of play amid Palace’s ongoing woes(Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)Mateta has been angling for a transfer away from Selhurst Park in recent days, particularly since Oliver Glasner announced he wouldn’t be staying beyond the end of the campaign and the club sanctioned captain Marc Guehi’s departure to Manchester City.The striker has been in talks with Besiktas and Juventus, although he could now opt to continue in the Premier League with the title-chasing Villans, who’ve just bid farewell to Donyell Malen following his loan switch to AS Roma.Mateta and the Red Devils: What’s been said up to this point?(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)Manchester United have been linked with Mateta on numerous occasions over the last year, so they will undoubtedly be keeping tabs on how the situation progresses. Appearances Goals Assists 152 46 9 *Mateta’s full league record since joining Palace in January 2021Their interest came amid INEOS’ search for a prolific goalscorer last summer, yet they ultimately favoured a much younger option than the 28-year-old Frenchman by signing Benjamin Sesko in a £73 million deal.Since then, though, Ruben Amorim and, now, Michael Carrick, have utilised the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha up front, the former of which found the breakthrough in Saturday’s Manchester derby to mark his eighth goal in all competitions this term.Mateta has started all 22 of the Eagles’ league fixtures thus far. If he agrees a move to Villa Park, he will be directly vying with in-form Ollie Watkins and the versatile Morgan Rogers.Whitwell: ‘Enquiry made’ – United now in touch with Euro ‘giants’ over £51m midfielder