Crystal Palace have seen a first bid for Mainz striker Jean Philippe Mateta rejected by the German club.
That’s according to RMC Sport journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi, who says negotiations between the two clubs are ongoing.
The French striker emerged as a target for the Eagles with reports in England stating he is one of several forwards the club have discussed as Roy Hodgson looks to add firepower to his side this summer.
Bouhafsi backs up those claims, stating that Crystal Palace have seen a ‘first offer refused’ by Mainz but ‘negotiations continue’ between the two clubs.
#CrystalPalace veut Jean Philippe #Mateta ! Le club anglais a transmis une première offre refusée par #Mayence. Les négociations continuent entre les deux clubs. #RMCsport
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) August 25, 2020
The journalist doesn’t offer anything more than that, failing to provide information on the nature of the first offer, like whether it was simply an enquiry or an actual cash bid has been submitted.
What we do know is that the bid from Crystal Palace appears to be relatively new, given that Mainz’s Sporting Director Rouven Schröder denied the claims yesterday.
“There has been an interest from England in principle for weeks. There are also contacts to some clubs,” Fussball News report him saying.
“We are basically assuming that we will remain. There are maybe four or five clubs in the world that can turn down top offers.
“If we receive a serious offer, you have to listen to it and think about it. The good thing is that we don’t have to sell a player. So far, there has not been a specific written offer for Mateta.”
That would suggest the situation is one that is rapidly changing, with more updates likely to come from France and particularly Germany in the coming days, hopefully providing a little more detail than Bouhafsi has to offer today.
