Jean-Philippe Mateta price revealed as star keen in a move – Manchester United News And Transfer News | The People’s Person

Manchester United has discovered the asking price for one of its top striker targets.

Frustrating search

The Red Devils have spent the entire summer looking for a striker to take over the starting role from Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee.

Liam Delap was previously connected with United, but he chose to join Chelsea instead.

Viktor Gyokeres has agreed to join Arsenal, and Victor Osimhen appears to be headed to Galatasaray.

Jean-Philippe Mateta is one of United’s targets.

Ruben Amorim’s side has also been connected with Crystal Palace attacker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

It was anticipated that the forward would want to stay at Palace to help them in Europe, but this could have changed after they were reduced to the Conference League.

AC Milan’s interest

It has already been reported that Serie A teams Juventus and AC Milan are interested in the player, but according to French newspaper L’Equipe, Milan has taken the initial steps toward signing him.

According to the article, “in search of a striker, AC Milan is interested in Crystal Palace’s Frenchman, Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is under contract in England until 2027.”

It is stated that his experience with the French national team in the Olympics has given him a desire to join the World Cup squad next summer.

The player, according to reports, “has formed the conviction that this could possibly involve a move away from Crystal Palace this summer, as he aspires to join a more prestigious club.”

Mateta is “reportedly attracted by the prospect of working under Massimiliano Allegri” as a result, and the Italian giants have “taken concrete steps” to sign him.

Milan’s valuation is shaky; may United swoop?

According to the French newspaper, Milan faces a stumbling block because “the English club’s asking price—over €30 million has reportedly put off the Lombardy club, whose budget is limited.”

United were willing to spend a comparable amount for Delap, so if Mateta is actually available at this price, it may be an appealing and cost-effective option for the Red Devils.

He was on fire for Palace last season, hitting 17 goals across all competitions to help his team win the FA Cup.

Manchester United transfers: What’s next for Rashford, Garnacho, and Antony?

Manchester United’s head coach, Ruben Amorim

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

Manchester United’s head coach Ruben Amorim expressed optimism at the end of the previous season.

Did he know how he wanted his group to appear when Manchester United resumed pre-season training in July?

“Yes,” he answered. “I have a strong picture of what we want.

“As you know, we are a bit limited and we can’t do it all in one summer but there is a clear picture for what we want.”

These sentiments were spoken just over six weeks ago, when the United head coach bid farewell to journalists following the club’s end-of-season tour of Asia.

With the club back in training and the first pre-season game against Leeds in Stockholm on Saturday, it is reasonable to presume that the expected clarity has not yet arrived.

The undesired five, who are required to free up finances for incoming acquisitions, remain at the club, albeit Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrrell Malacia train separately from the rest of the group.

Only one major acquisition has been made: Matheus Cunha, a £62.5 million signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

So, what is going on behind the scenes, and what is the likelihood of Amorim reshaping the group to his liking? Might United consider selling some of their other players to raise funds?

The ‘bomb squad’ has been genuinely ousted.

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Image caption,

Antony, Garnacho, Rashford, Malacia, and Sancho are believed to earn approximately £1 million every week.
On July 4, United announced that the five undesired players had requested to depart and would not train with the rest of Amorim’s side. Rashford’s number 10 shirt was given to Cunha.

Since their exile, the only important update concerning the quintet has been the announcement that they will be unable to attend United’s Carrington training ground, which they can use for rehabilitation and medical purposes, until Amorim and his squad have gone for the day.

Members of the so-called ‘bomb squad’, a reference to their being bombed out, can train together at Carrington if they like and combine it with work away from the complex, which is nearing completion of a multi-million-pound makeover. However, Amorim believes they have completed their task.

This decision makes it impossible to imagine a replay of the ‘peace accord’ reached between Sancho and former manager Erik ten Hag last summer. As a result of the deal, the England international joined United on their tour of the United States before moving on loan to Chelsea.

More importantly, it informs prospective clubs that such players are not wanted, implying United is negotiating from a position of weakness.

And this is a major concern.

Talks are expected to terminate at the window.

Antony, Sancho, and Malacia collectively cost the club more than £167 million.

Rashford and Garnacho, both ‘home bred’ under the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rule, are worth a combined 95 million euros (£82.34 million), according to transfermarkt.co.uk.

If they were sold, Amorim would undoubtedly benefit from the proceeds.

But, thus far, there is no evidence of this happening.

And this is crucial.

Those at Old Trafford hope Bryan Mbeumo’s prolonged deal from Brentford for more than £60 million is completed before Amorim and his squad embark on their pre-season tour. But after that, United will rely heavily on sales to fund future signings.

There have been rumors.

Rashford has been linked to Barcelona, which he prefers.

Sancho has joined Juventus, but coach Igor Tudor’s first priority is to secure the permanent acquisition of Portugal international Francisco Conceicao, who spent last year on loan from FC Porto.

Real Betis are still hoping to bring Antony back after his successful stint there in the second half of last season.

Garnacho’s name continues to be raised at Chelsea, Napoli, and his former club, Atletico Madrid.

Malacia has been identified as a potential Celtic target.

But none of this has translated into something concrete.

Rashford and Sancho are among the Premier League’s top earners. Unless either accepts a pay cut – and there has been no indication that either is willing to do so – United will almost probably have to offer some sort of financial incentive to allow a permanent transfer or loan to be completed.

Antony and Malacia are not in the same income level. However, neither are the teams looking to sign them, implying that United will face the same predicament as those two, albeit on a smaller scale.

As for Garnacho, it’s difficult to envision anyone prepared to pay the £60 million United expected to collect for him this summer.

As it becomes more likely that negotiations to offload the ‘bomb squad’ will not be completed until much closer to the transfer deadline on September 1, the question arises as to whether United would attempt to sell anyone else.

What are Man United’s other fundraising options?

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho celebrate Manchester United’s FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May 2024.

Image caption Kobbie Mainoo, like Garnacho, would be pure profit in the accounting because he is a homegrown player.

It is worth noting that United has made more revenue from sell-ons during this window than from player transactions.

Anthony Elanga’s £55 million transfer from Nottingham Forest to Newcastle earned the club £6 million.

And the sell-on figure is projected to rise further this week.

Alvaro Carreras, the defender who joined Real Madrid from Benfica, has fully finalized his transfer. United receive 20% of any sale price over £5 million. United are expected to collect roughly £7.6 million after a fee of 50 million euros (£43.33 million) was reportedly negotiated.

Furthermore, Maxi Oyedele’s pending 6 million euro (£5.2 million) transfer from Legia Warsaw to Strasbourg might net United £2 million, thanks to a 40% sell-on clause on the 20-year-old Salford midfielder.

It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to free up finances for other signings.

So, who else might they have to sell?

Kobbie Mainoo has yet to agree on a long-term extension to his contract, which expires in 2027, while Toby Collyer has two years remaining on the deal he signed in June last year.

Both contracts have one-year options, so United is protected.

However, the additions of Matheus Cunha and, eventually, Mbeumo, together with captain Bruno Fernandes’ decision to turn down summer overtures from the Saudi Pro-League, signal that spots in either central midfield or the restricted number 10 duties Amorim prefers will be scarce. And United already has Casemiro, Mason Mount, Joshua Zirkzee, Amad Diallo, and Manuel Ugarte.

Amorim earlier stated that he would be able to operate with a smaller group this season, without the extra difficulty of European competition.

As a result, players outside of the ‘bomb squad’ will be uncertain about their future at Old Trafford.

A squad with many uncertainty beyond the unwanted.

Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez’s confidence has been affected by injuries, and they must compete for a spot in a defence that includes promising teenagers Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven.

Andre Onana’s pre-season hamstring injury allows Amorim to evaluate his goalkeeping options, but unless 21-year-old Radek Vitek comes up, the decision will be to stay or twist with the Cameroon international offered Altay Bayindir was given a shot at the end of last season but failed to impress.

It’s a similar story in attack.

The pursuit of Liam Delap, who ultimately selected Chelsea, demonstrates Amorim’s belief that he can improve on Rasmus Hojlund.

Viktor Gyokeres, who played for Amorim at Sporting, has also rejected a move to United.

Ollie Watkins, who lost his spot at Aston Villa when Rashford joined United on loan, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford. Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy, both out of contract, have also left the club. All of these names suggest that United should give Hojlund another shot.

But does Amorim believe he is ready to honor the promise that motivated United to spend Atalanta £72 million for him two years ago?

Hojlund has been connected to his former manager Gian Piero Gasperini at Roma.

However, like with so many other players, it is difficult to translate hazy interest into reality.

When speaking with fanzine United We Stand last month, chief executive Omar Berrada stated the anguish of last season’s 15th-place finish, the lowest since the 1973-74 relegation campaign, was self-inflicted in the hope that reward would come.

“He’s suffered in the Premier League, and the team has suffered,” he told me.

“But we saw it as an investment for the following seasons, because we were going to give time to Ruben to get to know the squad, the club, the Premier League, so by the time that we got to now, we’ll have had all the discussions about what the squad needs and the two-to-three-year plan to get to a squad that’s capable of winning the Premier League.”

There is still time before the opening Premier League game against Arsenal on August 17 for Amorim’s confidence, which he expressed in Hong Kong, to surface.

However, the situation is currently too unclear for any United fan to be sure about what lies ahead.