Manchester United will have to beat off competition from Serie A giants Juventus and AC Milan if they want to sign Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, according to reports.
After losing out on Ipswich Town centre-forward Liam Delap to Chelsea, United quickly bumped Mateta up their priority list.
It was claimed earlier this week that Palace were willing to accept a knockdown fee of just €30m for the player, and that United were set to make a “concrete move” for him.
However, Spanish outlet Fichajes bring the Red Devils back down to earth with their latest report on the 27-year-old, in which they give his value as a more believable €50m.
On top of this, they stress that United do not have a clear run at Mateta, who now has “two high-flying admirers” in Italy.
They continue that no official moves have yet been made for the striker and Palace “remain awaiting potential offers”, but leave us in no doubt that the Serie A sides “will battle it out” with United for his signature.
Mateta is one of several names on Ruben Amorim’s shortlist to improve his options at centre-forward, which is a priority position for reinforcement after Rasmus Hojlund’s dismal season.
Also under consideration are the likes of Viktor Gyokeres of Sporting CP, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and RB Leipzig youngster Benjamin Sesko.
Mateta’s magical season in London saw him score 17 goals and register four assists in 46 matches for Oliver Glasner’s side.
And for once there was a fairytale ending, as Palace pipped Manchester City 1-0 in the final to win the FA Cup and qualify for the Europa League next season.
Should Mateta make the switch to Old Trafford he would of course forego any European football, after United fumbled their lines against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
Mateta is one of many options but certainly feels like a viable one, given that Premier League experience seems to be the name of the game for this transfer window.
United have already picked up Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers after an outstanding season, and are reportedly hot on the trail of Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo – whether his arrival would mean no move for Mateta is unclear.
Feature image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
