Crystal Palace ‘ready to listen’ to offers for “powerful” international star amid interest from Manchester United and Liverpool

Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta. (Reuters/Matthew Childs)

Crystal Palace returned to winning ways in midweek as Daniel Muñoz struck the decisive goal in a gritty 1–0 victory away at Burnley.

The result keeps Oliver Glasner’s side flying high in fifth place, an extraordinary achievement on the back of their FA Cup and Community Shield triumphs earlier this year.

But despite the club’s impressive trajectory, one of their most important players could be heading for the exit as contract talks continue to stall.

Crystal Palace are “ready to listen” to summer offers for star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta should negotiations over a new deal fail to progress, according to SunSport.

Discussions have been ongoing with the Frenchman’s representatives, but there has been little movement, and concerns are growing inside the club hierarchy. Steve Parish and his board are determined to avoid a repeat of the Marc Guehi situation — with the defender expected to leave for Liverpool on a free next summer — and do not want another key asset running down his terms.

Mateta’s form gives Palace every reason to push for a resolution. The 28-year-old has seven Premier League goals this season, earned a recall to Didier Deschamps’ France squad, and scored twice in three recent qualifiers.

His 17-goal haul last campaign — during Palace’s stunning FA Cup run — earned praise from Troy Deeney, who labelled him a “powerful” forward and a “joy to watch.”

Although tied down until 2027, Mateta is seeking a significant wage increase from his current £70k-per-week deal to reflect his status as the club’s leading man.

The situation has alerted a number of top clubs, with Manchester United, Liverpool and AC Milan all monitoring developments closely.

Palace will hope an agreement can still be reached — but unless talks accelerate, a summer sale is increasingly on the cards.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.