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EPL Transfer Talk George Wood/Getty Images The atmosphere in the City Ground boardroom when Crystal Palace visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday was already going to be intriguing. But Forest’s interest in Jean-Philippe Mateta will only have added another layer of intrigue. Forest have submitted a £35million ($48m) bid to sign the player, who has been Palace’s leading goalscorer in each of the last two seasons. Advertisement It comes against a backdrop of animosity that has developed between the two clubs in the past year, stemming from Palace’s demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League in the summer, after UEFA and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) found they had breached the former’s multi-club ownership rules. Forest subsequently replaced Palace in the Europa League and, when the two sides met at Selhurst Park in August, the London club were hit with an FA charge over a banner that appeared to depict Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis. The prospect of Mateta lining up in a Forest shirt, rather than for Palace, is a curious one, ahead of a game that, if the home side win, would see them go level on points with their visitors. The fact that the two clubs are rivals in the fight against relegation — as well as their recent relationship — is likely to give Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish pause for thought when it comes to giving the green light to any business between the two clubs. And while personal terms between Mateta and Forest will not be an issue, there remain some hurdles to overcome before any deal is concluded. Forest being keen to sign a second striker in the space of a few days tells a story in itself. And signing Mateta, who has also attracted interest from Juventus, Milan and Aston Villa, would be another statement of intent. Many Palace fans would be sad to see Mateta depart. But perhaps not all of them, at least not if the transfer for a player who has struggled to replicate his form of the last few seasons in recent weeks is perceived to represent good value for money. Palace want closer to £40million for a player who is under contract until 2027. Another key factor at the Palace end is that they would want to line up a quality replacement, with another Forest target, Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen, among their options. Advertisement Forest signed Italian forward Lorenzo Lucca on loan from Napoli last week, while they hold a £34. 7million option to make the move permanent. He could make his debut on Sunday. They also hold an interest in Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, who plays for sister club Olympiacos, along with Strand Larsen. And last weekend, Sean Dyche saw two of his other strikers, Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi, score in a timely 2-0 win at Brentford, which restored the gap between them and the bottom three to five points. But as they seek to maintain and extend that buffer, signing Mateta would only strengthen their arm. Palace have not won in 11 games in all competitions, a period in which Mateta has found the net only once, having played in 10 of those games. And some Palace fans might see Mateta as a player who has struggled for form amid speculation over his future. Mateta has also been carrying a knee problem, which was a key reason for manager Oliver Glasner not to risk playing him in Palace’s recent shock FA Cup defeat on Macclesfield’s artificial pitch. But Forest will see Mateta as a player with a track record that demonstrates he has scored goals at the highest level. Last season, he scored 17 in all competitions, as well as setting up the winning goal in the 1-0 FA Cup final win over Manchester City. In 2023-24, he netted 19 times. He has scored 10 this season, prior to his recent dip. Jesus has scored nine goals in all competitions — he has been the biggest success among the 13-player, £200million summer recruitment campaign — although his beautifully taken strike at Brentford was only his second in the Premier League. In the top flight, playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White is the club’s top scorer, with five. And despite a recent revival that has seen them take seven points in their last three games, Forest have still scored the second-fewest goals (23) in the top flight, with only bottom-of-the-table Wolves having found the net fewer times (15). Advertisement As for Lucca, Forest have signed the 6ft 7in (200cm) Italy forward because they hope he will add the physical presence to their front line that they are missing while New Zealand international Chris Wood is out with a knee injury. Forest feel Mateta can help deliver the goals they need to continue their recent upturn in form, which has seen them claim seven points from their last three Premier League outings. He is also more than a goalscorer. Over the previous two seasons, he has evolved into a player who has been integral to building up Palace’s attacking play. While he is a physically powerful battering ram of a forward — who causes most problems for opposition defences with his runs in behind — Mateta also hopes he has shown himself to be more technically gifted than many might give him credit for. In a previous interview with The Athletic, he spoke about his favourite goal he has scored for Palace — a last-minute winner over Leicester City in April 2023 — and how he hopes it demonstrated another side to his qualities. Jordan Ayew carried the ball into the centre of the pitch, spotted Mateta making a run and played a reverse pass into his team-mate’s feet. The striker controlled the ball and took it away from the defender in one swift move before slotting a left-footed shot beyond goalkeeper Daniel Iversen to secure a 2-1 win in Roy Hodgson’s first game back as manager. “I like to be technical, ” Mateta said. “Sometimes, people think I’m not technical enough to do this, and when I do, it’s great. I don’t just want to be, ‘JP scores like this, when he makes the run in behind’. I want to control the ball, I can dribble, I can shoot first touch, I can score with my left or right, and hopefully better and more with my head. ” Along the way at Palace, Mateta made a request to fans: that they shout ‘boom’ during his trademark goal celebration, when he kicks the corner flag. The Palace supporters quickly adapted the Vengaboys 1998 hit ‘Boom, Boom, Boom! !’ in homage to the striker. If he does move to Forest, it will be another explosive moment for both clubs, in a different sense.