AC Milan Withdraws From Mateta Deal After Knee Issue, Says Tare

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AC Milan halted a deadline-day move for Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta after medical tests raised concern over a knee issue, with sporting director Igli Tare stressing the decision protected the club’s long-term plans, while Milan also secured goalkeeper Mike Maignan on a new five-year contract during the same period.

Milan had arranged a deal worth around 30m (€26m) to sign Mateta, shortly after Crystal Palace completed a 48m move for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen, but Mateta’s transfer collapsed when the medical flagged a problem, leaving the forward devastated and now reportedly weighing up knee surgery options.

During Mateta’s medical, test results highlighted a previously unnoticed knee problem, which led Milan to withdraw from the agreement rather than take a risk on a long-term signing, and reports on Tuesday indicated the French striker is now considering undergoing knee surgery following the failed switch to Serie A.

Speaking before the Rossoneri’s trip to Bologna, Tare explained how Milan viewed the situation, and also addressed recent injury issues for key attackers [Rafael] Leao and [Christian] Pulisic, while underlining that the existing squad remains trusted to compete without searching for excuses despite the missed opportunity to reinforce the forward line.

"The Mateta operation was about the future and not the present. We tried to anticipate it, and then we found this physical problem and decided not to go ahead with the negotiation. In the future, we will see. The team has done very well so far, [Rafael] Leao has had a problem in recent weeks, [Christian] Pulisic has had problems, but we are happy with our team, and we will move on without looking for excuses."

While the Mateta deal fell through, Milan completed important business by agreeing a new five-year contract with captain Mike Maignan, who had entered the final six months of the previous deal and had been widely viewed as a possible departure from San Siro before negotiations reached a positive outcome.

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Tare said he always believed Maignan would choose to remain, and described how negotiations centred on aligning the player’s wish to stay with the club’s project, with the agreement seen internally as a signal about Milan’s future direction and commitment to key figures within the dressing room.

"It wasn't difficult for Mike, because he's now a flag of this club. There were negotiations to be had, but his desire has always been to stay at Milan, and he has always fought to make it happen. The club did well, giving a signal for the future."

Mateta has scored eight Premier League goals this season but has underperformed his 12.0 expected goals, while Milan’s 3-0 win over Bologna on Tuesday and Maignan’s renewal suggested stability on the pitch and in goal, even as the club remains open to revisiting Mateta’s situation at a later stage.