Liverpool has reportedly made contact about the possibility of signing Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace.

Foot Mercato says that Liverpool believes Mateta will be attainable for a lower price than the other players it has been linked with, like Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Ademola Lookman.

A price tag of between €50 million ($58 million) and €60 million ($70 million) is being touted for the Frenchman, who tallied 36 goals for Palace across the previous two seasons.

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Mateta and his agents are said to have met with Liverpool representatives in Paris to discuss the possibility of a move to Anfield.

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While the sporting consequences of Diogo Jota's death are completely irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, the Portugal forward's tragic passing coupled with Darwin Nunez's likely departure are set to leave Liverpool without a senior striker in its squad.

While Mateta recently turned 28, and Liverpool usually targets players in their early to mid-20s, he could represent a good option for Arne Slot's team due to his Premier League pedigree.

Mateta is contracted to Palace until the summer of 2027, so this summer could represent the Eagles' best chance of getting a big fee for the striker.

The only striker currently in Liverpool's squad, Nunez, scored in Sunday's pre-season friendly victory over Preston, but he remains a target for Serie A club Napoli.

If Nunez leaves, that will leave the Reds strikerless, although Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have both previously played through the middle for the Reds, and there is also the possibility of Florian Wirtz being utilized as a false nine.



Darwin Nunez is wanted by Napoli

Isak would be Liverpool's dream striker signing, but Newcastle is under no pressure to sell him after addressing its PSR issues last year and also qualifying for the upcoming season's Champions League.

Meanwhile, Frankfurt announced the signing of a new striker last week, which could signal that the German club is preparing to offload Ekitike during the transfer window.

Ekitike has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move away from the Bundesliga club for several weeks, after a season in which he scored 22 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions.

Frankfurt has hinted that it is planning for Ekitike's departure with the acquisition of Jonathan Burkardt from Bundesliga rival Mainz.

Burkardt, 24, scored 19 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for Mainz last season, with 18 of those strikes coming in the league, making him the fourth-highest scorer behind Harry Kane, Patrik Schick and Serhou Guirassy.


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