Striker had a medical in London after both clubs agreed on a deal, but the results of those tests caused Milan to pull away
Medicals before transfer deals are completed are pretty routine in football, but once in a while, cases like that of Jean-Philippe Mateta reminds fans that it is possible to fail one, even if it doesn’t happen very often.
AC Milan were closing in on a €30m deal with Crystal Palace for the services of the French striker, but the move collapsed on deadline day.
Mateta was left out of Palace’s Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest while the deal was being completed. The striker had a medical in London after both clubs agreed on a deal, but the results of those tests caused Milan to pull away.
The 28-year-old has been carrying a knee problem since 2019, when he ruptured his meniscus while playing for Mainz. Palace sent Milan the striker’s full medical records, and after examining them, Milan were concerned that Mateta would need surgery to completely cure the problem, which would rule him out of action for several months.
It was a situation the Italian club were not willing to accept and they walked away from the deal.
The knee problem has indeed occasionally kept Mateta out of Palace’s squad. He was left out of the team to face National League side Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round, because the game was played on Macclesfield’s artificial pitch, which was judged as likely to cause Mateta problems in his joints.
With the move to Italy having collapsed, Mateta would have to remain at Palace until the end of the season, when he and Palace might consider it in the interest of both parties to move on.
