Manchester United have been offered the opportunity to sign Crystal Palace and France striker, Jean-Philippe Mateta before the transfer deadline.
Since joining Palace from Bundesliga club, Mainz for a mere £9 million in 2022, Mateta has scored 62 goals and provided 14 assists across all competitions.
During this period, the 29-year-old has become a key player at Selhurst Park, contributing to the club’s victories in the FA Cup, the Europa Conference League and the Community Shield under former manager Oliver Glasner.
However, Mateta faced significant backlash from fans after attempting to facilitate a transfer to AC Milan during the winter, a move that ultimately fell through after he failed to pass a medical examination at the San Siro.
The uncertainty surrounding Mateta’s future has persisted into this summer, as the France international has turned down multiple contract proposals from Palace in pursuit of potential opportunities elsewhere.
According to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, Aston Villa have emerged as the latest club to submit an offer, valued at between £25 million and £35 million, for Mateta as they seek to secure a replacement for Ollie Watkins.
Nevertheless, it is reported that the bid was “immediately rejected” as it was “well short” of Palace’s asking price for the 6ft 4in centre-forward.
Crook asserted that both United and Tottenham have been offered the opportunity to sign Mateta, with both clubs actively searching for last-minute attacking reinforcements before the transfer window closes on Tuesday.
This summer, United have concentrated on enhancing their central midfield options, acquiring Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba from Chelsea, Aston Villa and Brighton, respectively.
In contrast, Spurs have strengthened their midfield by adding Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, while also bringing in Savio, Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senese, Andrew Robertson and Martin Dubravka.
Earlier this week, the north London club also secured Omar Marmoush on a season-long loan from Manchester City.