Aston Villa to pay £30m for Jean-Philippe Mateta amid Crystal Palace unrest
Aston Villa could be set to swoop in and sign Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Villa are keen on signing Mateta from Crystal Palace after a stellar few seasons for the Frenchman at Selhurst Park.
The Villa Park faithful have already seen what the 28-year-old has to offer as the striker scored in Crystal Palace’s 3-0 win over Villa last time out.
This saw annoyance around Unai Emery’s squad build as the lack of attacking threat was clear, something which could be rectified by Aston Villa’s signing of Harvey Elliott from Liverpool.
With that being said, the Spaniard could soon add Mateta to his ranks in B6 after the latest reports of frustration emerged in the Eagles’ squad.
This article includes exclusive comment from former Aston Villa employee Bryan King.
Aston Villa want cut-price Jean-Philippe Mateta deal
It seemed clear as the window waned on that the Villans wanted to add a fresh face to their forward line.
This was seen by a late Villa pursuit for Will Osula from Newcastle, which was ultimately impossible to complete due to UEFA regulations.
In the end, a recognised striker didn’t come in, leaving Ollie Watkins as the only true number nine within the squad in the Midlands.
This could all change either in January or next summer if Villa take advantage of unrest at Selhurst Park to land the signing of Mateta.
With Ebere Eze already gone and Marc Guehi potentially on his way out, former scout King believes that the former Mainz forward could also move on.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, King said: “I don’t think Villa would pay that price.
“I think the PSR issue has hit Villa quite hard, and I think they’d be looking at around £30million.
“There seems to be a bit of unrest at Palace at the moment. Eze’s gone, Guehi was on the verge of leaving, and Mateta is saying that he won’t sign a new contract.
“There’s a funny feeling there at the moment. There’s been a lot of talk about the manager being unhappy.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta could transform Aston Villa
There is no one in a similar profile to the striker at Villa Park right now, and that in itself is a reason to bring him in if there is a chance to do so.
The FA Cup champion has been stellar over several seasons with Crystal Palace and has bags of Premier League experience when it comes to scoring goals.
| Stat | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
| Appearances | 39 | 46 | 6 |
| Goals | 19 | 17 | 3 |
| Assists | 5 | 4 | 0 |
It is his sort of deadly nature of front of goal that Villa are lacking right now, and as a point of difference, he could prove to be excellent.
At £30m, Mateta could prove to be a bargain and a true sign of intent from the Villans after such a difficult time in the most recent window.
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