Milan: Mateta, agreement with Palace but doubts about the attacker’s knees

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s race ends in a sprint. A Milan doctor will be in London tomorrow morning for additional tests on the knees of the French player, chosen by the club as the number 9 of the future. Crystal Palace today closed the maxi deal for Jorgen Strand Larsen, the Wolverhampton striker paid a sum close to 50 million. The big problem that was hindering the negotiation has therefore disappeared from the scene. However, during the day Milan received medical documentation which the doctors felt needed to be looked into further. This is the last step to take.

the two hypotheses

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The evaluation is now very delicate, also considering the race against time to close by 8pm, the market deadline. Will the knees convince 100%? If Milan feels they can proceed, they will close with Palace and Mateta will arrive in Italy for the first photos in the Rossoneri. Otherwise, we will not proceed, not even for June. Mateta has had problems in the past but in recent seasons he has played continuously: 23 games in this Premier League, 37 in the last championship, 35 in 2023-24. Numbers that seem above suspicion. Currently, Mateta’s knees are on the pitch regularly. The issue will probably be to understand whether there may be problems in the future.

mateta pro milan

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An atypical negotiation however, the one between Milan and Mateta. First launched under investigation, with Milan working for several weeks to understand if it was possible to get a player followed already in the summer. Then suddenly out in the open between Thursday and Friday, when Milan accelerated and, during the night, reached an agreement in principle with Crystal Palace. The amount for the transfer? Between 30 and 35 million. The most anxious, on this night in early February, will be JPM. Mateta broke up with Palace to force the transfer to Milan: his choice has been made for days.