Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta is considering undergoing knee surgery following his failed move to AC Milan.
Mateta saw his move to the Italian giants collapse on Deadline Day after his medical highlighted problems with his knee, but it is thought there is no bad blood between the two clubs after the transfer was called off.
Milan were aware of the issue before negotiations started with Palace – his medical records were sent to Italy on Saturday – in advance of the final negotiations.
The Serie A club also sent their own club doctor over to London to further investigate, before finally pulling out of the £26m deal.
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Juventus also hold a long-term interest in the France international, and they too looked into a late move for Mateta once Milan had withdrawn their interest, but again, the knee issue put them off making a formal offer.
Mateta, who has had a knee problem since November, has been playing with pain for several months, and Palace have been managing it game by game.
But the 28-year-old will now have discussions with a knee specialist before making a decision on whether to have an operation.
Mateta is expected to leave Palace this summer
The timing of the surgery is a key decision, with Mateta hopeful of making France’s World Cup squad this summer.
Discussions will take place with Palace and with the surgeon to decide the best course of action.
Options include him continuing to play with pain and managing the injury, or to undergo surgery soon, which could mean several months on the sidelines.
Devastated Mateta expected to leave Palace this summer
Mateta has had a knee injury since November
Whatever the decision over surgery, Mateta, who has 18 months left on his Palace contract, is set to leave Selhurst Park this summer.
Sky Sports News understands he is devastated, disappointed and upset after his failed move away from the club in the winter window.
He unfollowed Palace on Instagram over the weekend, and he posted a fed-up emoji.
It remains to be seen if he is in the right frame of mind to play for Oliver Glasner’s side, who go to rivals Brighton on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
If Mateta is unavailable for the trip to the south coast, then Palace could hand a debut to new club-record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen after the striker’s £48m Deadline Day move from Wolves.
Why Palace’s McNeil deal collapsed
Both Mateta and Dwight McNeil saw their transfers collapse on Deadline Day
Palace had looked on course to make two Deadline Day signings, only for Dwight McNeil’s move from Everton to collapse.
McNeil’s partner criticised Palace for “messing” with the winger’s mental health after his loan move with an obligation to buy for £20m fell through late on.
“(To have something) torn away from you at the last second, with absolutely no explanation,” Megan Sharpley wrote on Instagram.
“Going from everything to radio silence, no phone call, no communication, and be left, broken-hearted with nothing but confusion hurts more than I can say.”
McNeil also responded to the failed transfer: “While even now I’m still left in the dark.
“What I do know, and have been supported with, I am an Everton player. I will use this as motivation.”
From Palace’s perspective, Sky Sports News understands they have huge sympathy with McNeil because of what happened on Deadline Day.
The initial £10m price for a wide player who can also play as a left wing back was attractive, but after talks with Everton, it became clear the deal would be closer to £20m with layered in clauses like staying up.
At £20m, there was a risk the deal would not happen for a player who was not playing regularly, and this was made clear to McNeil.
At 3pm the deal was nowhere close to being done, with it finally being agreed at 6.15pm – just 45 minutes before the 7pm deadline.
But this left very little time to complete it, as complications emerged surrounding the payment structure.
From Everton’s perspective, they feel that they completed the paperwork on time but Palace did not and pulled out at the 11th hour.
Everton are unhappy about the effect that this has had on McNeil and his family.
Guessand set for Palace debut after pushing for Eagles move
New Palace signing Evann Guessand is in line to make his Eagles debut at Brighton on Sunday.
Sky Sports News understands that the Ivory Coast international was the key driver in making the move from Aston Villa a reality.
Palace were one of a number of clubs who were interested in signing the versatile forward last summer before Villa bought him in a deal worth up to £28m.
The south London club were not actively looking to sign the former Nice forward in January, considering he only joined Unai Emery’s side in August.
New Palace signing Evan Guessand struggled in his six months at Aston Villa
However, Guessand – via his representatives – approached Crystal Palace to signal his willingness to join the club following an underwhelming start to the season at Villa. Palace were impressed by the forward’s desire to join and began discussions with Villa to accelerate the move.
Palace see the 24-year-old being able to make an impact in a number of forward positions across differing playing systems.
Last Friday, Palace signed Guessand on loan until the end of the season with an obligation to buy for £28m if certain conditions are met.
Guessand only managed just two goals in 21 appearances for Villa, making just six Premier League starts. He is yet to get off the mark in the top flight.
