Crystal Palace are set to complete a £48m Deadline Day deal for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jorgen Strand-Larsen.
The Eagles have been entangled in a back-and-forth with Wolves to secure a deal for the Norwegian forward, but have finally reached an agreement and, according to Sky Sports, he has now completed his medical, with an official announcement imminent.
The move for Strand-Larsen has come as Palace agreed a £30m deal with AC Milan to part ways with Jean-Philippe Mateta; however, that move hangs in the balance with further medical tests being undertaken.
According to The Standard, AC Milan are concerned about an ongoing knee injury that Mateta is carrying, and club doctors have flown into London to make a final decision.
Despite agreeing a deal, the Serie A giants are keen to conduct further examinations on the Palace striker and will not sanction the move unless they are satisfied with his condition.
Will Jean-Philippe Mateta complete his move to AC Milan?
There is no doubt that Mateta is keen to get his Palace exit signed, sealed and delivered before the deadline, especially with the arrival of Strand-Larsen imminent.
The 28-year-old Frenchman has been a consistent threat in front of goal this season, but was left out of Oliver Glasner’s squad for the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest over the weekend.
The Palace boss revealed in his pre-match press conference:
“We need every single player at their best and JP [Mateta] isn’t at his best right now with all the noise that is happening.
“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 was better not to play him.”
If the deal does fall through with AC Milan, it will be interesting to see where Mateta’s future lies at Selhurst Park, especially with a World Cup approaching in the summer.
The striker is desperate to improve his chances of being called up to the France national squad for the international tournament, and reportedly believes this would be achievable if he makes the move to Serie A.
With that being said, this is a deal to watch closely for Palace supporters, particularly regarding the consequences should it fail to materialise before the 7pm deadline.
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