Jean-Philippe Mateta suggests he could leave Crystal Palace as France's newest striker targets 'Champions League and biggest trophies'

Mateta, who completed a permanent transfer to Crystal Palace from Mainz in 2022, only started to grow in reputation during the 2023-24 campaign. That year, the Frenchman scored 16 Premier League goals and was declared the club's Player of the Season. The following campaign saw Mateta scoring 14 league goals and he helped the club win their first-ever piece of silverware in the form of the FA Cup. At the age of 28, he has received a senior France call-up for the first time and is expected to make his debut for Les Bleus this month.

Speaking to RMC Sport, Mateta was asked whether he would like to 'move up a gear' to join an elite club. He replied: "It's natural, every ambitious player wants to reach that milestone. Especially when you arrive in the national team and around you, there are only players who play in the Champions League, who win the biggest trophies. When you play surrounded by the best players in the world, naturally you want to reach that milestone."

Caught Offside reported last month that three Premier League clubs, Aston Villa, Leeds and Newcastle, have all made Mateta a top target for the winter transfer window. However, Palace would demand a fee in the region of £40 million ($54m) for the striker. He was also linked with Tottenham and Manchester United over the summer.

The striker will hope that Didier Deschamps hands him his national team debut in one of their two upcoming World Cup qualifying games as France take on Azerbaijan and Iceland on October 10 and 13 respectively.