Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider reports that Crystal Palace chiefs now realise they have to settle for a lower price for Jean-Philippe Mateta this summer. The South London club have lost their leverage: they can no longer demand £30 million now that the striker is entering the final year of his contract.

Palace already moved fast to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen as his replacement. This shows the club expect Mateta to leave soon. The move followed the collapse of a planned switch to AC Milan. That deal failed because medical tests showed ongoing trouble with the striker’s knee.

Manchester United are still keeping a close eye on him. They already held internal talks about signing the unhappy goalscorer. Mateta is 28 now and is pouring everything into getting fit for the 2026 World Cup. He is desperate to make the France squad.

The former Mainz man has a massive choice to make. He can have surgery to fix the knee, but that would ruin his World Cup dreams. Or, he can try to play through the pain to stay in the mix for Les Bleus.

Oliver Glasner isn’t in a rush to bring the Frenchman back...