Fenerbahçe turn to Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta as leading striker target | OneFootball

Fenerbahçe have identified Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta as their leading centre-forward target after a move for Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez hit a financial and logistical stalemate, according to Turkish-Football.com.

With the Trendyol Süper Lig title race at a critical stage, head coach Domenico Tedesco has urged the board to recruit a powerful focal point in attack. The search has taken them to Selhurst Park.

The coaching staff want a forward who contributes beyond goals, occupying an entire back line and bringing others into play. Mateta’s hold-up work and one-on-one efficiency align with that brief, and his Premier League grounding should aid a quick adaptation to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium.

The board have opened preliminary contact with Palace to assess a permanent transfer. While the London club may be reluctant to sell mid-season, the club are prepared to commit a significant budget.

A remaining obstacle is the foreign player quota in Türkiye. Work is under way to move on fringe players to create space in the squad.

If talks progress in the coming days, Mateta could become a marquee addition with the potential to influence the title race.

Source: Turkish-Football.com