Outscoring Mateta: Crystal Palace now battling Arsenal to sign £13m forward

Crystal Palace are now battling Arsenal for the signature of a new forward, who is regarded as “the best” player in his league.

Palace looking to sign new attacker amid Mateta uncertainty

With Jean-Philippe Mateta yet to sign a new contract to extend his stay at Selhurst Park beyond 2027, his future as a Palace player is up in the air, and the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Liverpool have been named as potential suitors.

It would, of course, be a real blow to lose Mateta, given that the striker is the Eagles’ top scorer this season, amassing 11 goal contributions across all competitions.

The South Londoners are determined to keep hold of the Frenchman, and there is still plenty of time to agree a new deal, but with his future still not secured, a new attacker has been identified as a target ahead of the January transfer window.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which states Crystal Palace are now rivalling Arsenal for the signature of HNK Rijeka attacking midfielder Toni Fruk, alongside Benfica, Atletico Madrid and a number of other top European clubs.

Rijeka president, Damir Miskovic, has set an asking price of around £13m, with Fruk’s new agency, Niagara Sports, recently holding talks in London, although it is unclear whether Palace were involved in any negotiations.

The Eagles have scouted the 24-year-old on a number of occasions, such is their level of interest, and there is a belief he would be a perfect fit for Oliver Glasner’s style of play.

Fruk named as "the best player" in Croatia

Agent Andy Bara recently described the Croatian as “the best player” in the HNL, and it is clear to see why, given that he has amassed ten goals and two assists in all competitions this season, outscoring Mateta.

At the end of November, the Rijeka star put in a particularly impressive performance against Hajduk Split in the HNL, scoring a hat-trick within just over half-an-hour, while also grabbing one assist, which earned him a SofaScore match rating of 10.

On that day, the five-time Croatia international featured at left-wing, but he is very versatile, having also featured in attacking midfield and at centre-forward regularly throughout his career to date.

Crystal Palace determined to agree deal with £150k-p/w star who Glasner loves

The Eagles are looking to tie down one of their most important players to a new contract.

By
Dominic Lund

3 days ago

Fruk is clearly ready to take the next step in his career by moving to one of Europe’s major leagues, and it would be a real coup if Palace were able to get a deal done, given the interest from some top clubs.