It’s likely that we’ll be hearing about Jean-Philippe Mateta’s failed exit from Crystal Palace for a few weeks.
The striker was one of the big names of the January transfer window, pushing to leave Selhurst Park as hard as possible. AC Milan appeared to be his destination, before they then dramatically pulled out on deadline day.
The blame game has already started on that front, with Crystal Palace getting stick earlier today. Now Calciomercato want to get into the mix.
They say there should be no surprise about Milan pulling away given they also did so with Victor Boniface five months ago. That cancellation was also due to a knee issue.
Milan were taking no risks after an intense weekend with a barrage of calls and medical tests. Milan even sent their own doctor to London to personally assess the Crystal Palace striker.
The situation goes back to last Thursday. Milan decided to make their move then and bring forward a deal they’d been eyeing for the summer. Crystal Palace were cooperative, accepting an offer of €35m.
They even sent complete and detailed medical reports about the striker’s physical condition. Then came the individual doctors. CM cite Gazzetta dello Sport, who report that three different doctors voted against the move for Milan.
Thus, the Italian side cancelled the deal, leaving Mateta at Selhurst Park. He now has to decide whether to undergo surgery. That could rule him out of the World Cup and pose problems for a summer transfer window move.
AC Milan won’t be pursuing him at that point. They’ve been put off by the doctors, who are the ones who seemed to really block this move happening.