AC Milan are set to decide on deadline day whether to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace.
Milan will send a club doctor to examine Mateta on Monday before proceeding with the deal. The windows for clubs in England and Italy will close at 7pm UK time.
There is also a question mark over whether Milan will proceed with a transfer during this period, given that coach Christopher Nkunku does not want to leave the club.
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Nkunku signed for Milan from Chelsea last summer for £36 million, but as things stand, he does not want to move to Roma or Fenerbahce.
Sky Sports News understands that Palace have not heard of any issues regarding Mateta’s move to AC Milan.
The Eagles will pay Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen £43m in guarantees and £5m in add-ons to replace Mateta.
Strand Larsen has completed a medical at Crystal Palace ahead of his £48m move, with the club finalizing paperwork for the move.
The south London club will break their transfer record for the second time in this period, following the signing of Brennan Johnson from Tottenham Hotspur.
As it stands, the deal is proceeding as planned, even though Milan are waiting until deadline day to make a decision on Mateta.
The move paves the way for Mateta to join Milan. An agreement had been reached for Mateta to join Milan and Palace had given him permission to undergo a medical.
Palace were happy to finalize Mateta’s transfer after agreeing a deal with Strand Larsen.
“It’s[Mateta]or someone else,” manager Oliver Glasner said when asked after Palace’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest if the striker was staying at Selhurst Park.
Palace have negotiated a reduced price with Wolves for Strand Larsen after coming close to agreeing a deal on Thursday for a fixed fee of £45m plus £5m in add-ons.
Leeds were also interested in Strand Larsen, but it is understood that the promoted club are unlikely to sign a new striker before the deadline, as they were unwilling to pay more than £40m for the 25-year-old.
Strand Larsen played 22 Premier League games for bottom club Wolves this season, scoring one goal, but at the end of last season he scored seven goals in eight games.
Palace’s Strand-Larsen negotiations
Crystal Palace have agreed a transfer fee for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen
James Savandra on Sky Sports News:
Palace were able to negotiate a lower deal with Wolves on Thursday than they were close to agreeing.
They were reluctant to commit to the £5m extra fee Wolves were looking to add to the deal.
The Eagles risked missing out on the move, but took the time to negotiate a more favorable contract ahead of Monday’s deadline.
Wolves are adamant there was no need to sell the Norwegian striker.
However, both clubs were aware that given Wolves’ impending relegation and Strand Larsen’s continued struggles on the field, the player would not be available for a sum of nearly £45m in the summer.
Palace therefore feel they were able to extract better value from the contract while paying a premium for the striker in January.
Palace were not actively considering selling Jean-Philippe Mateta in this transfer window.
However, Palace’s transfer plans accelerated after contract negotiations stalled and the Frenchman announced his desire to leave.
Palace’s season is on the brink. They still have a huge chance of adding more players to their cabinet through the Conference League and achieving a solid showing in the Premier League.
But a nine-game winless run in the top flight means there is work left to do to avoid an unpleasant end to manager Oliver Glasner’s final months.
Analysis: Palace Bank on return to form
Nick Wright of Sky Sports:
He played in 22 games but only scored one goal. Judging by Strand-Larsen’s performance this season, his £48m fee looks ridiculously high.
Crystal Palace will be hoping for a return to form in 2024-25, when he scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 35 appearances in his first season in the Premier League.
It was Strand Larsen’s third double-digit goal tally in his top-flight career, following a 14-goal season in the Eredivisie with Groningen in 2021-22 and a 13-goal La Liga season with Celta Vigo in 2023-24.
His performances before this season showed he has a pedigree as a goalscorer and he looks like a stylistic fit. Similar to Jean-Philippe Mateta, he is tall and has a strong physical presence against opposition centre-backs, allowing him to act as a target man and provide runs in behind.
At 25, he is also three years younger than Mateta, so he has plenty of room to grow. Still, given his struggles this season, there may be more work to do to convince fans than he can offer value for money at £50m.
