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Jean-Philippe Mateta is open to a move to AC Milan from Crystal Palace this summer, but his asking price is considered too high.
It is no secret that Milan are in the market for a new centre-forward given that Igli Tare publicly declared it. There have been countless names linked like Dusan Vlahovic, Victor Boniface and Nicolas Jackson, but Mateta’s profile has been mentioned recently.
€30m too expensive
According to L’Equipe, Mateta’s performances for the French national team – who were runners-up at the Paris Olympics last year – have given him ideas. At 28, the striker harbours ambitions of joining the senior team for the next World Cup.
He has formed the conviction that this could possibly involve a move away from Crystal Palace this summer. With two years left on his contract, the former Lyon man – who scored 14 Premier League goals last season – aspires to join a more exclusive club.
Milan have made moves to sign him, they add. Mateta is reportedly attracted by the prospect of working under Massimiliano Allegri, but the English club’s asking price – over €30m – is said to have put the Rossoneri off for now.
The budget is limited, and so Tare seems more inclined to try get an advantageous deal for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic, with Monaco’s Breel Embolo the back-up option at €15m. The talk of a €40-50m budget for the striker role, therefore, seems to have been wide of the mark.
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