British media: Mateta requests the final year of his contract to be void, but 10 months remain on the contract.

British media reports that Matteta believes his contract has ended, but he actually has 10 months left on his contract with Crystal Palace.

The report states that Matteta has consistently maintained that the final year of his contract with Crystal Palace should be invalidated, and he has submitted the dispute to the Premier League's Independent Tribunal for Arbitration and a FIFA hearing. With the transfer window closing soon, this situation makes Matteta's future even more uncertain.

Despite challenges from Matteta and his advisors arguing that the final year of his contract is not legally binding because it was a renewal option activated by Crystal Palace under his initial four-and-a-half-year contract, the French international is still under contract with Crystal Palace.

Days before his opening Premier League match for Crystal Palace against Everton, FIFA ruled that the matter was outside its jurisdiction. While the decision of last season's Independent Tribunal for Arbitration for Sport has not yet been confirmed, Matteta still has a contract with Crystal Palace, indicating that the hearing result was unfavorable to him.

Therefore, at least from Crystal Palace's perspective, the controversy is over.

Mateta played 63 minutes for Crystal Palace on Saturday, suggesting that the damage to the relationship between the two sides is not irreparable.

Mateta has already proven that he has the ability to regain public support at Selhurst Park.

Previously, a knee injury caused his transfer to Italian giants AC Milan to fall through, and Mateta was once close to leaving Crystal Palace. After returning to the team in the second half of the season, he was booed by Crystal Palace fans on several occasions.

But in May, Mateta scored the winning goal in Crystal Palace's victory over Rayo Vallecano to win the UEFA League title, becoming a hero in South London.

Subsequently, Matteta realized his dream of representing France in the World Cup, and Crystal Palace was very proud of it.

Matteta will be called up to the French senior national team for the first time in 2025, and will subsequently participate in the World Cup.

Sources indicate that even considering the contract dispute, some people still feel sympathy for Mateta, believing he could have received different advice. However, Crystal Palace fans on social media are much more indifferent towards him.

Labor law expert Libby Payne stated, "One could argue that the terms of a renewal option are inherently unfair and therefore should be void. However, the threshold for establishing such a claim is very high, and such challenges rarely succeed."

With only eight days left in the transfer window, people can't help but wonder if this once-good cooperative relationship is heading towards a breakdown.

Reportedly, with the transfer deadline approaching, rival clubs have shown interest in Mateta. Aston Villa is one of the clubs considered to admire him, while Watkins' future at the midfield club is in doubt.

Despite Mateta's efforts to prove otherwise, he still has 10 months left on his contract with Crystal Palace.

There are several important reasons for this.

This means that if Crystal Palace hopes to recoup some money through a transfer fee before Mateta becomes eligible to sign a pre-contract with an overseas club for Bosman in January, the current transfer window will be their last chance.

Crystal Palace will not ignore this, and some within the club believe they should end their partnership with Mateta in the coming days.

But Mateta has less than 12 months left before he can leave on a free transfer, and for him, a free transfer next summer is likely to be more profitable than leaving for a transfer fee this month. Therefore, it's perfectly understandable that the striker isn't in a hurry to leave.

Crystal Palace had tried to renew Mateta's contract over the past 12 months, but without success.

While the possibility of a contract extension cannot be completely ruled out, given that Matteta has already taken a series of actions to prove that the final year of the existing contract is invalid, it seems hard to imagine that he would suddenly change his stance now.

Crystal Palace are at least likely to listen to offers for Mateta, as his actions have indicated he wants to leave Selhurst Park.

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Matteta claims Crystal Palace's final year of contract is invalid.

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