Aston Villa see offer rejected for Crystal Palace’s Jean Philippe-Mateta amid Watkins interest from Al-Hilal | OneFootball

Aston Villa have had an offer for Crystal Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta rejected.

According to The Standard, the bid was below Palace’s valuation of the 29-year-old, and it is unclear whether Villa will make a second approach.

Mateta is being considered as a possible replacement for Ollie Watkins, who is drawing strong interest from Al-Hilal. Watkins was left out of the squad for the 4-0 defeat at Brighton on Sunday, with Unai Emery saying only the striker could explain his absence.

Mateta has his own dispute at Palace after it emerged he took the club to a Premier League tribunal last season, arguing the final 12 months of his deal were invalid, then escalated the case to FIFA. The tribunal outcome has not been made public, but it was made clear to him the contract, which runs until summer 2027, remains binding. FIFA ruled they did not have jurisdiction.

Those revelations have cast doubt on his future at Selhurst Park, and Villa have stepped up their interest in the France international. He nearly left in January when a proposed £30 million move to AC Milan collapsed after a failed medical.

After opting against surgery on the knee problem that derailed the switch, Mateta returned to fitness and scored the winner in the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig in May. He was later called into France’s World Cup squad as they reached the semi-finals in North America, and he started for Palace in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Everton.

Source: The Standard

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