The clever Aston Villa and Crystal Palace swap transfer deal which could save both clubs' season this January
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will both hope to be active in the remainder of the transfer window - could a swap deal be on the cards?
The January transfer window arrives every year as the perfect opportunity to relieve depleted squads around the Premier League, which is certainly the position both Aston Villa and Crystal Palace find themselves in at present.
The high-flying Villans had been touted as potential outside contenders for the title – something vehemently denied by manager Unai Emery, who claims his side are not even contenders for the top five – but injury issues have meant they have been unable to make up any ground on leaders Arsenal in recent weeks.
Palace, meanwhile, are heading towards crisis territory. Having already sold talisman and FA Cup final match-winner Eberechi Eze over the summer, club captain Marc Guéhi has now departed for Manchester City and manager Oliver Glasner is set to leave at the end of the season. Whether he even stays until then could depend on the club’s transfer business over the remainder of the January window, with the latest speculation involving the club unlikely to make the situation any better.
Aston Villa target Jean-Philippe Mateta informs Crystal Palace of desire to leave
Reports surfacing via Sky Sports on Wednesday state that Jean-Philippe Mateta has informed Crystal Palace of his desire to leave the club this month, as transfer interest in the France international striker intensifies.
Aston Villa are reported to be at the centre of a battle for Mateta alongside Serie A giants Juventus, with both clubs hoping to sign the 28-year-old this January following previous reports Villa had ‘registered their interest’ in the striker. Mateta has 18 months left on his deal and figures of around £40m have been quoted, which Aston Villa may feel is too steep a price to pay considering the club’s financial constraints.
But another striking option to offer support to Ollie Watkins is paramount, particularly after the exit of Donyell Malen to Roma was confirmed last week. The Villans will be aware that Mateta is keen on a move and may seek alternative methods in order to get a transfer over the line.
Could Aston Villa launch a swap deal with Crystal Palace this month?
Aston Villa may look to secure the signing of Mateta with a major swap deal involving one of their own attacking stars.
The West Midlands club recently recalled Leon Bailey from his loan spell at Roma and could include the Jamaica international, also 28, in a player-plus-cash swap deal in order to bring down the price for Mateta and offer the Eagles another option in attacking areas in exchange for their star striker.
Bailey is not believed to have much of a future at Villa Park beyond offering an extra body following the exit of Malen, but the winger has four years of Premier League experience and was a key player as Villa qualified for the Champions League in 2023/24, bagging 10 goals and nine assists in the league and 28 goal contributions in all competitions in the most productive individual season of his career.
Injury and form issues have seen Bailey fail to reach those heights since and his current market value is just £15.7m, according to Transfermarkt. But including the Jamaican in a deal for Mateta could offer Villa the edge in negotiations, while providing Palace with a player of a similar age profile who is capable of replacing some of Mateta’s attacking output if he gets up and running quickly at Selhurst Park. With Mateta demanding an exit and his market value likely to drop next summer, Palace may see the value in doing a deal with Villa while they still can.