Crystal Palace are “doing everything they can” to keep Jean-Philippe Mateta at Selhurst Park amid interest from Liverpool, according to reports.
The Reds have already completed signings of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez this summer, while back-up goalkeepers Freddie Woodman and Armin Pecsi have also joined.
Liverpool have thrown their full weight behind Arne Slot this summer after the Dutchman delivered the Premier League title in his first season at Anfield.
And the Reds are far from done in the transfer market with Hugo Ekitike now being given the green light to complete a medical at Liverpool after the Merseysiders agreed a fee with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool are also looking to bring in a new centre-back this summer, while they have also been linked to other new attacking players.
There has been speculation that Liverpool could sign two players from Crystal Palace this summer with Marc Guehi and Mateta both reported Reds targets.
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It has been rumoured that £26m could get Mateta out of Palace this summer, while around £50m could be enough for Liverpool to sign Guehi, who is in the final year of his deal at Selhurst Park.
Discussing Guehi’s future last month, transfer journalist Ben Jacobs told talkSPORT: “Marc Guehi is not going to extend at Crystal Palace, that is our understanding and it means there’s two options.
“One is that he stays at Palace, gets the game time, hopefully gets into the World Cup squad and leaves on a free transfer. And from Guehi’s point of view he is prepared to entertain that possibility.
“Palace on the other hand want to sell him, this is their only opportunity to bring in big money. There could be a halfway house with a January exit of course for a fee, but Palace want to sell.
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“Palace have asked in the past for £65-70m and now the asking price is more like £50m, maybe a little bit more with add-ons. It remains to be seen whether interested suitors are willing to pay that much.
“Liverpool are the latest club to be exploring this deal. A lot will depend not just on who can agree on a fee with Palace, but whether you can persuade Guehi he’s going to get the game time.
“He’s going to have to understand whether he can get enough game time to be firmly in the plans of Thomas Tuchel and that’s why at the end of the day even if he gets a lucrative offer, the player may actually still decide to stay at Crystal Palace.”
Previous reports have suggested Mateta could be available for £26m but it remains to be seen if Liverpool would target another striker after moving closer to sealing a deal for Ekitike.
But Football Insider‘s senior correspondent Pete O’Rourke has provided an update on the futures of Mateta and Guehi with Crystal Palace heading for “disaster”.
O’Rourke told Football Insider: “There’s a number of clubs who are looking at Mateta. He had a great season for Palace last season, there’s no getting away from that.
“With 17 goals in all competitions, he obviously played a key role in them winning the FA Cup. It’s not just Liverpool being linked, you’ve got Manchester United being credited with an interest in him as well as AC Milan who have been looking at him.
“Palace will be doing everything they can to keep hold of Mateta.
“They’re shutting down the hatches at Palace with all of the top clubs looking at their best players with the continues links with Eze and Arsenal, Guehi and Liverpool.
“Palace can’t afford to lose too many big players in this window, it would be a disaster for them. So they’ll be doing everything they can to keep hold of Jean-Philippe Mateta.
“He’s still got two years left on his contract, so Palace are in a strong position to keep hold of him.”
