Aston Villa have made contact with Crystal Palace over striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Palace insist the Frenchman is not for sale, but the enquiry comes as talks over a potential new contract rumble on between the club and Mateta’s representatives.
Mateta, currently at the Olympics with France, scored 16 Premier League goals last season as the Eagles enjoyed an impressive end to the campaign.
Palace were in January willing to listen to offers for Mateta, but that stance has now changed. Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Torino are now monitoring the situation after registering interest.
Standard Sport understands Villa have also made their interest known to both the club and Mateta’s camp. Unai Emery wants to bolster his attacking options before the end of the window, with the future of wantaway Colombian forward Jhon Duran remaining unclear.
The Eagles consider Mateta an important part of the project they are building under manager Oliver Glasner, and early discussions over a potential new deal with improved terms are understood to have been ongoing for some time. His current contract runs until 2026.
