Jean-Philippe Mateta: Crystal Palace striker says final year of deal is invalid
Jean-Philippe Mateta is arguing the remainder of his Crystal Palace contract is invalid and has taken his case to Fifa.
Multiple sources have told BBC Sport that the France international has launched an official challenge over the validity of the final 10 months on his Selhurst Park deal, which expires in June 2027.
Mateta - who started Palace's Premier League opener at Everton on Saturday - signed for the club in 2021 from Mainz 05, initially on an 18-month loan.
The striker signed a four-and-half year contract when joining permanently in January 2022, in a deal that also included the option of a 12-month extension.
Palace activated that option in 2024, meaning Mateta's current deal is due to expire at the end of the season.
But the 29-year-old is claiming the final year of his contract - the optional extra year - should be void and it is understood Mateta's case was heard by an independent tribunal under the Premier League's rules.
While there has been no official confirmation of the outcome, it understood Mateta's contract remained binding.
He has since taken his argument to world football governing body Fifa, who ruled earlier this week that overruling the contract is not within its jurisdiction.
BBC Sport has approached Mateta's representatives and Fifa for comment.
If Mateta had successfully argued his contract is void it would possibly set the wheels in motion towards the forward becoming a free agent before the expiry of his Palace deal next year.
Mateta has become a key figure for Palace since his arrival at Selhurst Park - scoring 67 goals for the club.
He playing a major role in the club's historic FA Cup and Uefa Conference League triumphs under former manager Oliver Glasner.
But Mateta pushed to leave Palace in January this year and was close to joining AC Milan.
However, the deal did not go through because of an issue with Mateta's knee.
It was not the best day opening day for Crystal Palace.
Ismaila Sarr was not included in the matchday squad with new manager Pierre Sage revealing he has been struggling with an injury.
Sources have told BBC Sport that Sarr has not trained for the last two days, complaining of a groin issue, amid interest from Turkish side Galatasaray.
Palace do not want to sell their star forward, who scored 21 goals in all competitions last season as the Eagles won the Community Shield and the Conference League.
One source has said that the interest from Galatasaray is concrete but that only a bid well above market value would even be considered by the Eagles.
Meanwhile, defender Chadi Riad was stretchered off with a serious knee injury in the 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park.
Riad has been affected by knee injuries since joining Palace in 2024 - suffering an issue in his second game for the club. Back-to-back knee injuries saw him absent from the squad for more than 400 days.
Wantaway players, an opening day defeat and a serious looking knee injury. The season couldn't have got off to a worse start for Sage.
The contract situation with Mateta is the latest twist to what has been a rollercoaster time for the Frenchman at Crystal Palace.
The 29-year-old has become a cult hero at the Eagles due to his trademark celebration where he kicks the corner flag to shouts of "boom" from supporters, while the striker also scored the winning goal in the final as Palace won the Conference League last season.
It has not always been smooth sailing for Mateta though.
The forward had a slow start to his Palace career but his trajectory was transformed under the guidance of former boss Glasner.
Mateta became one of the most reliable strikers in the Premier League and scored 46 goals in 109 games in all competitions under the Austrian.
That form led to interest in Mateta across Europe, and the contract standoff that has the club and the striker in the current situation.
Mateta has always been highly ambitious and made clear his desire to play for clubs at the elite level of the game, even during times early on in his Palace career when his form made it seem unlikely.
Alongside his aim to represent top clubs across Europe, Mateta has chased a place in the France national team and he achieved that goal in October last year before securing a place in the final 26-man squad for the World Cup.
When it seemed like Mateta would leave the club in January, Palace moved to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen as a replacement for a deal worth up to £48m.
The Norway striker made his debut for Crystal Palace in a win over rivals Brighton last season and Palace fans repeatedly chanted his name as they got behind their new striker in a show of support as Mateta's time at the club looked to be over.
However, Mateta failed his AC Milan medical and remained at the club, being ruled out for about two months with the issue.
He was booed by some sections of fans when he returned in the last-16 tie against AEK Larnaca in March before he turned around the fan feeling with a goal in the final of the Conference League, and he ended the season with 16 goals in all competitions.
Mateta has been a key part of the most successful time in Palace's history in which the club won the FA Cup, Community Shield and Conference League, but the current contract standoff threatens to leave a stain on his time at the club.