Aston Villa in contact to sign £60,000-a-week Premier League striker

Aston Villa have been in contact about signing Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, as an alternative to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson.

Jackson has been identified as a key target for Villa, but the Blues are demanding £65m, a very high fee considering they were willing to ship him out on loan to Bayern Munich last season.

The Senegalese striker, who Unai Emery knows very well, could be brought in to replace Ollie Watkins, with the Englishman being omitted from Villa’s squad for the 4-0 defeat against Brighton on Sunday.

However, Mateta is now emerging as an option, with the Frenchman’s future in doubt, as he has entered the final year of his Palace contract, after nearly leaving the Eagles to join AC Milan during the January transfer window.

Although the Palace star is around four years older than Jackson, at 29-years-old, there are signs he could be a better addition to Emery’s squad, having been able to score more league goals over the past three seasons.

Encouragingly, the £60,000-a-week striker is also held in very high regard by Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who lauded him as “one of the best strikers in Europe” off the back of his exploits for Palace.

REUTERS/Ian Hodgson

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Mateta’s agents are working to secure him a move away from Crystal Palace before the September 1st deadline, and they have now offered Aston Villa the opportunity to swoop in.

The France international’s representatives have been in talks with Villa, but there could be competition for his signature, given that Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have also been approached.

Unsurprisingly, the Eagles remain reluctant to cash-in on their star striker, despite him being determined to leave, and they are even willing to risk losing him on a free transfer, so it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible.

The latest on Ollie Watkins’ Aston Villa future

Watkins’ time at Villa Park looks set to come to an end, with Fabrizio Romano revealing the centre-forward has agreed personal terms on a move to Al-Hilal, and the Saudi Pro League side believe they will be able to get a deal over the line.

The 30-year-old could be difficult to replace, having amassed a whopping 108 goals and 47 assists in 278 matches for Villa, but Mateta is an exciting option due to his record in front of goal for Palace, whereas Emery is a big fan of Jackson, having worked with him at Villarreal.