Palace this week completed the signing of French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta on an 18-month loan deal from German club Mainz.
The 23-year-old’s arrival is the first of the January transfer window for the Eagles and subject to international clearance. The deal includes an option to make the move permanent.
Born in the Paris suburb of Sevran, Mateta played for anumber of clubs at youth level before making his professional debut for Chateauroux in 2015. He signed for Lyon for 2 million Euros in September 2016 where he found limited opportunities in the first team. However, a successful spell at Le Havre saw him score 17 goals in 35 appearances which caught the eye of Mainz 05 who signed him for a club record fee in June 2018.
Mateta scored 10 goals for the struggling Bundesliga side this season in his 15 appearances, making his total at the club 24 goals in 67 league matches.
Palace have reportedly a loan fee of 3 million Euros in order to secure the option to buy the Frenchman for a further 15 million Euros.
Watch his first interview on Palace TV;
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