Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner says Jean-Philippe Mateta will not feature against Nottingham Forest after AC Milan made an offer to sign the striker.
Palace want to sign a replacement before letting the striker leave and are close to completing a deal to sign forward Evann Guessand from Aston Villa and remain in talks for Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Milan are ready to pay £35m to sign Mateta permanently in the summer but want to bring in him in now on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.
“It’s nothing to do with the transfers, he is just not in the right place and doesn’t feel in the right place to play,” Glasner said in his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Forest, live on Super Sunday.
“We have to protect the team and protect him, he will not travel with us to Nottingham.”
Milan’s pursuit of Mateta is no longer dependent on finding a new club for Christopher Nkunku. They will explore potential options for the former Chelsea forward if they can bring Mateta to Italy.
Palace are discussing Milan’s offer for Mateta and – as Sky Sports News reported on Thursday – Forest’s £35m bid for the striker remains on the table.
When pushed for more detail on Mateta’s absence this weekend, Glasner added: “Again, there is so much noise, so much speculation, so many things going on.
“We need every single player at their best and he isn’t at his best right now with all the noise that happens.
“It can be football noise, but if someone has private issues where they can’t focus on football, then it makes no sense to play.
Jean-Philippe Mateta celebrates after giving Crystal Palace the lead against Fulham
“He can’t help the team and perform at his top level. We decided it is better not to play him. We have to prepare if something happens with [with Mateta].”
Glasner also stated it is possible Mateta remains at the club after the January transfer window closes on Monday.
He continued: “Again, to be clear, it can be that he stays, and he is a Palace player on February 2, and it can be that he has left the club and a new striker is in.
“These are the two situations we are talking about and discussing right now.”
Who will Palace sign to replace Mateta?
Evann Guessand is set to join Crystal Palace from Aston Villa
Palace want to get a replacement before Mateta can leave. They are closing in on the initial loan signing of Guessand from Aston Villa and remain in talks to sign Strand Larsen from Wolves.
The deal for Guessand includes a £28m obligation to buy that is triggered if he makes a certain number of appearances. Juventus showed interest, but it came too late to affect anything.
The Ivory Coast international has agreed a four-year contract at Selhurst Park, if and when the deal becomes permanent. He travelled to London on Thursday to finalise the move and is scheduled to undergo a medical on Friday.
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Good Morning Transfers takes a closer look at Crystal Palace’s interest in Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen and what that may mean for Jean-Philippe Mateta!
Palace’s Strand Larsen deal, which was more or less verbally agreed for a potential £50m (£45m + £5m) on Thursday, was hanging in the balance on Thursday evening over a disagreement on the add-ons.
The south London club are But there are still some adjustments to the deal that are yet to be agreed. Leeds are also still monitoring Strand Larsen after having an initial bid rejected.
Glasner: Palace is a challenging situation currently
Glasner went on to admit that balancing fixtures with the transfer window is not easy but insists the club are working hard to prepare for all possibilities come the end of Deadline Day on Monday.
Palace have already lost captain Marc Guehi in a £20m deal to Manchester City on January 19.
Marc Guehi controls possession during his Man City debut
“To be honest, it looks like the entire year, especially in summer, and right now it is not the easiest way to deal with for the group and for everyone,” Glasner said.
“The club is working almost 24 hours a day right now. Marc [Guehi] left two weeks ago and nobody is in.
“You can imagine it is not so easy – every team wants to play a successful season, so it is not so easy that you can get the players at the end of January. I see the club working hard to get players in.
“So much noise, so many players leaving and leaving on Deadline Day or the day before and all this noise around us. Yes, it is really challenging.
“Challenging for the players and I can’t praise them enough. I see how hard they are working the whole week and how they’re dealing with these circumstances.
“We will travel tomorrow with 13 on-field players, plus Kaden Rodney from our academy. Nobody is complaining. We will be able to win with this group of players at Nottingham. It is a challenging situation.”
Sunday 1st February 1:55pm
Kick off 2:00pm
