Nottm Forest hijacked as Mateta ‘agreement’ reached; Palace star ‘stalled talks’ for one reason | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest are reportedly set to miss out on Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who has reached an ‘agreement’ with another club.

Mateta has livened up an otherwise dull January transfer window in recent weeks, with it being made clear that he wants to leave Crystal Palace.

The striker, who has scored eight Premier League goals this season, is in the final 18 months of his current contract and reportedly want to leave so he can play for a club in the Champions League.

This is a fresh blow for Crystal Palace, who have already lost Marc Guehi to Manchester City this month, while head coach Oliver Glasner has confirmed that he will move elsewhere once his contract expires in the summer.

Aston Villa and Juventus initially looked to be leading the race to sign Mateta, though their interest has decreased of late. The Villans have re-signed Tammy Abraham as a cheaper alternative, while the Serie A giants have reportedly opted to look elsewhere after failing with a loan-to-buy proposal.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have also been loosely linked with Mateta, though Forest have recently moved to the front of the queue for his services.

Earlier this week, journalist Santi Aouna claimed Forest are ‘very close to an agreement’ to sign Mateta, with their hopes boosted by Palace looking likely to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen and/or Evann Guessand.

However, Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio has since revealed that AC Milan have hijacked Forest’s move for Mateta, with it claimed that a ‘verbal agreement’ was reached regarding this move on Thursday night.

Di Marzio added: ‘The Rossoneri have reached a verbal agreement in principle with the English club.

‘It remains to be seen whether the deal can be completed immediately or whether to wait until the summer transfer window. Linked to this are Nkunku’s departure and Crystal Palace’s search for a replacement.’

Journalist Nicolo Schira, meanwhile, said on Monday that Mateta is yet to give a ‘green light’ to Forest.

He provided a further update on Friday morning. He said on X: ‘The story is the same: despite a rich bid submitted for #CrystalPalace, Jean-Philippe #Mateta doesn’t seem convinced to join #NottinghamForest.

‘Talks are now stalled and the striker has opened the door to other clubs…’

This is a blow for Forest, who currently sit 17th in the Premier League table and only five points clear of the relegation zone.

So far this window, Sean Dyche’s side have only made one signing, landing Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca on an initial loan deal until the summer.