Mateta's move to Milan collapses after reported issue with medical

Jean-Philippe Mateta's switch to AC Milan from Crystal Palace reportedly collapsed during the final hours of the January transfer window Monday.

The failure to complete the transfer stemmed from an issue that was uncovered during the French striker's medical with Milan, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Matt Woosnam, and James Horncastle. The 28-year-old has been dealing with a knee problem.

Mateta's move, which was expected to exceed the €30-million mark, was granted after Palace agreed to terms to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers' Jorgen Strand Larsen.

Strand Larsen's transfer still went ahead, with Palace announcing the deal for the Norwegian striker minutes before Monday's 2 p.m. ET deadline.

After pulling out of the Mateta move, AC Milan now face the prospect of relying on Christopher Nkunku, Rafael Leao, and Christian Pulisic as their main sources of goals for the rest of the season. Santiago Gimenez, who has endured a difficult time with the club, is currently sidelined with a significant ankle injury, while Niclas Fullkrug has started once and made five substitute appearances since arriving on loan from West Ham United early in January.

Crystal Palace, meanwhile, may be spared losing another important figure from their 2025 FA Cup-winning squad following the exits of Eberechi Eze, Joel Ward, and Marc Guehi over the past six months. In mid-January, manager Oliver Glasner revealed he would also leave Selhurst Park in the summer.

Mateta has struck just once in his last 12 appearances but remains the club's top Premier League scorer over the past two-and-a-half seasons. Overall, he's tallied 46 goals over 153 top-flight appearances since joining the Eagles from Bundesliga side Mainz on an initial loan deal in January 2021.