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Nottingham Forest have had further offers turned down for Jean-Philippe Mateta as they step up their bid to sign the Crystal Palace forward.
Palace have agreed a deal in principle with Wolves worth £45m plus £5m in add-ons for Jorgen Strand Larsen, which Forest hope will pave the way for Mateta to join them this month.
But despite making at least two offers for Mateta – and agreeing personal terms with the player – Forest have yet to hit Palace’s valuation.
Mateta would prefer to join a bigger club but the likes of AC Milan or Juventus have not been able to match Palace’s desired pay structure or valuation of around £40m.
Palace, meanwhile, have gone to £50m for Strand Larsen after opening discussions revealed Wolves’s valuation was closer to £55m, which Newcastle had offered in the summer.
Nottingham Forest have further offers for Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta rejected
Palace have also struck a £50m agreement in principle with Wolves for Jorgen Strand Larsen
Though Mateta has made it clear he wants to leave Selhurst Park, it is also possible that they will opt to hang on to him until the summer.
With Palace sliding down the Premier League in alarming fashion, chairman Steve Parish and his co-owners may decide the risk of allowing their top scorer to leave mid-season is too great.
Even if they had to accept a lower price in the summer for Mateta, keeping him would give them a better chance both of surviving and finishing higher up the table, therefore collecting more in prize money.
Yet Forest are also determined to get their man. With Palace visiting the City Ground on February 1, the decisive conversations may not take place before then.
Despite the animosity between Palace and Forest, it is thought officials from the South London club will still attend the game. Palace were furious last summer when a UEFA ruling saw them demoted for the Conference League, allowing Forest to take their Europa League spot.
Then Forest complained when a banner referring to owner Evangelos Marinakis and playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White was displayed at Selhurst Park during the 1-1 draw there last August.
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