Crystal Palace Reject £30M Atalanta Bid for Striker Mateta

Crystal Palace have rejected a £30 million bid from Italian club Atalanta for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has two years left on his contract and was a key player in their recent FA Cup success. Atalanta, having sold last season’s Serie A top scorer Mateo Retegui to Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah, are actively searching for a replacement, with Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz, Lecce’s Nikola Krstovic, and Genk’s Tolu Arokodare also on their radar. While Palace remain reluctant to sell Mateta, it is unclear if they would accept higher offers amid a highly competitive market for strikers. The club faces a challenging summer, not only in trying to retain Mateta but also with other players like Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi attracting interest from clubs such as Arsenal. Additionally, Palace’s potential participation in next season’s Europa League is uncertain due to a demotion to the Conference League, with an appeal pending at the Court of Arbitration for Sports. Failure in this appeal could complicate their efforts to keep top players amid European transfer interest.