Jean-Philippe Mateta put in a good performance for Crystal Palace at the weekend, despite Patrick Vieira’s side losing 3-1 to Liverpool.
The scoreline wasn’t in favour of the Eagles, and Jurgen Klopp’s side were clearly the better team, but Palace gave a good account of themselves, and Mateta showed his willingness to work for the cause.
On loan from Mainz, the 24-year-old has been getting more minutes for the Premier League club since Christmas, and therefore it could be a surprise if he were to be shipped out in the final week of the window.
That isn’t stopping interest from Saint-Etienne, with L’Equipe reporting ASSE are still looking to sign Mateta before the window closes. According to the French newspaper, the forward is the Ligue 1 side’s ‘top priority’ as they hope to get a striker in quickly.
Serhou Guirassy, who plays for Rennes, and Vedat Muriqi, who has been struggling for prominence with Lazio, are seen as other options.
Mainz will continue to look for a situation which can see them bring in a transfer fee in the near future, with Crystal Palace having a €15m buying option.