Mateta says Milan medical revealed knee injury worse than Palace told him

What happened

Mateta travelled to Milan this summer expecting to complete a move to AC Milan. The medical flagged a knee problem serious enough to stop the deal. According to Football Italia, Mateta has since gone public to thank Milan's medical staff, saying the injury was "more serious than I had been told" by Crystal Palace.

That is a pointed claim from the player himself. It raises questions about what Mateta was told about his own condition before the transfer process began. Crystal Palace have not confirmed or denied his account.

What Crystal Palace haven't said

As of writing, Crystal Palace have not responded publicly to Mateta's claim. When a player thanks a rival club's doctors for telling him the truth about his own body, the club he is referencing usually has something to say. So far, nothing.

The exact nature of the knee problem has not been specified by any source. What is confirmed, per Football Italia, is that Milan's medical team found something significant enough to pull the plug on the deal.

What this means for Mateta

Mateta was one of the Premier League's most reliable strikers across the 2023-24 season, finishing as Palace's top scorer and earning a reputation as one of the division's more underrated centre-forwards. A move to Milan would have been a serious step up. Now he is left in limbo: the transfer is dead, his knee condition is apparently worse than he knew, and his relationship with Crystal Palace has taken a very public hit.

Whether he remains at Selhurst Park, pushes for a move elsewhere, or whether any contractual dispute follows is unclear. He has gone on record saying his own club did not give him the full picture. That is a difficult thing to walk back from, for either party.

Milan, for their part, come out of this looking thorough. Crystal Palace have a question to answer.