"The winter transfer window closed on Monday evening, and yet the storm surrounding AC Milan has continued to rage on. As we headed into the final day of the mercato, the now infamous 'Deadline Day™', it seemed that Milan would be surprise protagonists, at least relative to the amount of activity in the days prior to the window's conclusion. Multiple reliable sources from David Ornstein to Matteo Moretto reported that a deal had been agreed between Milan and Crystal Palace for Jean-Philippe Mateta, the 28-year-old French striker who had been extensively linked in months prior."
"That came out on Sunday afternoon. Then, as we headed into the evening, it was expected that the striker would pass a medical and sign in an operation worth over €30m. By Sunday night, it had already emerged that doubts had started to emerge. These would never be overcome."
"The Rossoneri, as we know by now, are thorough in their medicals (more on that to come). When a fee was agreed between the two sides, the testing process began. In the early checks, club doctors found something that they thought needed further investigation. Now, many fans and journalists pointed to the fact that Mateta has played in all 23 league games of the season, missing only the 24th game against Nottingham Forest two days ago due to transfer reasons. However, stories of his physical issue had already surfaced in December, in English papers. The Rossoneri staff wanted a further look at Mateta's knees, in particular his right knee which has had issues before. In fact, the centre-forward ruptured his meniscus in 2019 while playing for Mainz and underwent surgery that year, keeping him sidelined for six months."
AC Milan reached agreement with Crystal Palace to sign Jean-Philippe Mateta late in the winter transfer window, with reports suggesting a fee in excess of €30m. Club medicals detected a cartilage problem in Mateta's right knee during early testing, prompting further investigation. Mateta previously ruptured his meniscus in 2019 and underwent surgery, which sidelined him for six months. He has featured in 23 league matches this season, though reports of a physical issue appeared in December. Milan's thorough medical process and the new findings prevented the transfer from being completed by the deadline.
Read at SempreMilan
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