Earlier on Monday, we covered a story about Jean-Philippe Mateta potentially returning to France on loan.
The news came from Foot Mercato, who explained that while the striker was happy to leave Crystal Palace and the Eagles wanted rid, AS Saint-Etienne couldn’t afford the best part of his wages.
The Ligue 1 side were only ready to contribute for 30% of his near €45k/week salary, and this appears to be an obstacle for other clubs too.
Kicker managed to get a little quote from FSV Mainz 05’s sports director Christian Heidel, who was asked about a potential Mateta return to the Bundesliga side.
He made it clear it was ‘almost impossible for many reasons’, with Kicker adding the Crystal Palace striker’s ‘salary and the loan fee of millions’ were making things difficult for the Germans.
The 24-year-old, who is currently on loan from Mainz until the end of the season, had scored 27 goals in 71 appearances for the Bundesliga team before this move to Selhurst Park, as well as picking up five assists.