Aston Villa are on the lookout for potential replacements for Jhon Duran and Unai Emery has an interest in Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Heading into the 2023/24 campaign not many clubs would have been chasing the 27-year-old as the forward’s time at Selhurst Park had been up and down since he moved to London from Mainz 05 in 2021.
However, the second half of last season saw the Mateta reborn under new Palace boss Oliver Glasner. The Eagles put together an impressive second half to their 2023/24 campaign and it was spearheaded by their French striker.
Mateta finished the Premier League term with 16 goals, but impressively 14 of them came in the final 16 games of the campaign.
With a contract expiring at Selhurst Park in 2026 and no agreement reached over a new deal, several clubs have been keeping an eye on the 27-year-old.
One of them is Crystal Palace’s Premier League rivals Aston Villa with the Birmingham club said to have reached out to Mateta’s camp to explore the possibility of a summer transfer, reports The Express.
Villa face tough competition for the French forward as Juventus and Atletico Madrid are also said to be interested in the Crystal Palace star.
Unai Emery has been strengthening his Aston Villa team heavily this summer as the Premier League side get ready for their return to the Champions League, which is one of the reasons the Birmingham club want Mateta.
The 27-year-old is also a different profile to Ollie Watkins and could provide Villa with something different when Emery needs it.
However, the primary factor in Villa being interested in the Crystal Palace star is the potential departure of Jhon Duran. The Colombian forward has been linked with a move away from Villa Park all summer as West Ham and Chelsea consider bidding for the youngster ahead of the new season.
It remains to be seen if the 20-year-old moves on and if he does, Villa’s interest in Mateta will heat up.
The post Aston Villa set to battle Europeans giants to sign striker who scored 14 goals in last 16 games appeared first on CaughtOffside.
