Jean-Philippe Mateta shares cryptic social media post as his move to AC Milan is delayed while Crystal Palace work on £50m replacement

Jean-Philippe Mateta expressed his frustration on Saturday night after his move to AC Milan was held up as Crystal Palace try to secure a replacement.

The 28-year-old was waiting for permission to fly from London to Italy and have a medical ahead of signing a three-and-a-half-year contract with Milan.

The striker shared a frustrated emoji to his 300,000 Instagram followers as he waits for his move to be given the green light.

Mateta, who is Palace’s top scorer this season, has agreed personal terms with the Serie A giants but the south London club want a replacement before allowing their talisman to leave.

The Eagles are still trying to sign Wolves‘ Jorgen Strand Larsen. They had agreed a fee of £45million plus £5million in add-ons but the structure of payments caused a sticking point.

Oliver Glasner confirmed on Friday that Mateta would not be part of the Palace squad travelling to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Crystal Palace striker shared a frustrated emoji to his Instagram account on Saturday night

‘It is nothing to do right now with the transfers. He is not in the [right] place,’ the Palace boss said.  To play makes no sense. We have to protect the team and I have to protect him.

‘That is why he will not travel with us to Nottingham. Again, there is so much noise, so much speculation, so many things going on,’ added Glasner.

‘We need every single player at their best and JP [Mateta] isn’t at his best right now with all the noise that happens.

‘It can be football noise, but if someone has private issues where they can’t focus on football, then it makes no sense to play.

‘He can’t help the team and perform at his top level. We decided it is better not to play him.’

Palace sit 15th in the Premier League and have already sold Marc Guehi to Manchester City during the winter window.

They are yet to find a replacement for their former captain but Glasner, who confirmed earlier this month that he will be leaving at the end of the season, knows the club are working to bolster the squad before Monday’s deadline.

‘Marc [Guehi] left two weeks ago and nobody is in. You can imagine it is not so easy – every team wants to play a successful season, so it is not so easy that you can get the players at the end of January.

‘I see the club working hard to get players in to replace Marc and, of course, we have to prepare if something happens with JP [Mateta].’

Glasner said the club is preparing for different scenarios and Strand Larsen remains a target.

‘To be clear, it can be that Mateta stays, and he is a Palace player on February 2, and it can be that Mateta has left the club and a new striker is in.

‘These are the two situations we are talking about and discussing right now.’