Mateta Demands Exit as Juventus and Aston Villa Circle Palace Star

The winter of discontent at Selhurst Park has reached a new boiling point as star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta officially informed Crystal Palace of his desire to leave the club. The 28-year-old Frenchman, who has been the focal point of the Eagles’ attack since the arrival of manager Oliver Glasner, has made it clear that he will not be extending his current contract, which has just 18 months remaining. With European heavyweights and Premier League rivals beginning to circle, the striker is reportedly ready to swap South London for a fresh challenge.

The timing of Mateta’s exit demand could hardly be worse for a Palace side currently grappling with an identity crisis. Despite the historic high of lifting the FA Cup last May and securing a maiden European campaign, the club has entered a period of rapid regression. The squad has already been stripped of its defensive anchor following Marc Guehi’s recent £20 million move to Manchester City, while the summer sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal left a creative void that the hierarchy has struggled to fill.

Mateta’s camp has reportedly pointed to a perceived lack of ambition from the club’s leadership as a primary factor in his decision. Having netted consistently over the past two seasons, the striker is said to be frustrated by broken promises regarding squad reinforcement and a competitive contract offer. Currently valued at approximately £40 million by the Palace board, Mateta is seeking a platform that offers regular Champions League or top-tier European football—a goal that feels increasingly distant for the Eagles.

Juventus have emerged as the most persistent suitors from abroad, having already seen a structured loan-to-buy offer rejected by the Palace hierarchy. While the Italian giants have agreed personal terms with the player, they have yet to meet the €40 million asking price set by Chairman Steve Parish. This impasse has left the door wide open for Aston Villa, who are in the market for a frontline leader following the departure of Donyell Malen to Roma. Villa are understood to have already reached an informal agreement with Mateta’s representatives, potentially setting the stage for a late-window bidding war.

Manager Oliver Glasner, who recently sent shockwaves through the fan base by announcing his own departure at the end of the season, has adopted a pragmatic but somber stance on the situation. Speaking ahead of the club’s recent fixtures, the Austrian tactician admitted that every player has a price and that the club would not stand in Mateta’s way if a suitable offer materialized. Glasner’s frustration with the board’s recruitment policy was palpable following a recent defeat to Sunderland, where he claimed the remaining squad members had been “abandoned” by those in charge.

The turmoil off the pitch has been mirrored by a catastrophic run of form on it. The Eagles are currently winless in ten matches across all competitions, a slide that was punctuated by one of the most humiliating results in the club’s history earlier this month. As the defending champions, Palace were dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by sixth-tier Macclesfield Town. The 2-1 defeat to a non-league side sat 117 places below them in the football pyramid highlighted the depth of the rot currently affecting the first-team environment.

With the January transfer deadline looming, the Palace board faces a high-stakes dilemma. Selling Mateta now would provide a significant financial windfall but would leave the club without their most potent attacking threat in the middle of a domestic slump. Conversely, keeping an unhappy player risks further destabilizing a locker room already reeling from the departures of Guehi and the impending exit of their manager.

The next week will be defining for the club’s immediate future. If Aston Villa or Juventus choose to meet the £40 million valuation, Mateta will become the latest high-profile departure in what is rapidly becoming a fire sale at Selhurst Park. For a fan base that was celebrating at Wembley just eight months ago, the prospect of losing their star striker alongside their captain and manager represents a staggering fall from grace.