Man Utd in FIVE-CLUB battle for ‘unbelievable’ €50m striker

Manchester United face competition from at least four clubs in the race to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta, according to a report.

The Crystal Palace striker is back with a bang after his horror head injury. Mateta scored his first goal since being sidelined against Brighton on Saturday in a heated M23 derby clash.

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Mateta opened the scoring with a thumping finish after just three minutes as nine-man Crystal Palace held on to secure a 2-1 victory. The 27-year-old and his teammates were hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by coach Oliver Glasner after they dug deep to secure three points.

“This mindset, togetherness and spirit, everyone could see,” Glasner said. “This spirit is unbelievable. The character of this group and players is really good.”

Indeed, if there is one word to describe Mateta since the Austrian took charge of the Eagles, ‘unbelievable’ would be quite fitting. In 42 Premier League games under Glasner, the Frenchman has netted a whopping 26 goals.

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Man Utd face Mateta competition

This form has naturally attracted the attention of suitors. Man Utd have been persistently linked with Mateta for weeks, who would reportedly cost around €47 million to €50m in the summer.

According to TEAMtalk, Man Utd are far from the only side with a keen interest in Mateta. The report claims that the likes of Atletico Madrid, Bayern, Nottingham Forest and Juventus are also keeping tabs on him.

Mateta, it is asserted, is regarded as a ‘solid backup option’ should Man Utd fail to land top target Victor Osimhen, which looks increasingly likely if transfer insider David Ornstein is to be believed.

Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim has already announced that he expects ‘one or two big players’ to be signed in the summer transfer window. The Premier League-proven Mateta could be a shrewd acquisition for the struggling Red Devils.