Crystal Palace are reportedly eyeing up a Manchester City attacker as a potential replacement for star striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The 28-year-old has scored 55 goals in 174 appearances for Palace across all competitions since joining the club in 2021, including 17 strikes in a memorable 2024-25 season for the Eagles who won the FA Cup and qualified for Europe.
This term, Mateta has scored a team-high nine goals in 22 games in all tournaments, most recently netting from the penalty spot in Palace's 2-1 Premier League defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
Mateta is considered an important first-team player for head coach Oliver Glasner, with Palace and the France international understood to have held talks over a extending his contract beyond June 2027.
Speculation over Mateta's future has intensified in recent weeks, though, with clubs in the Premier League and abroad believed to be weighing up a move next summer.
© Imago / Action Plus Palace eyeing up Mubama as potential Mateta replacement?
Amid uncertainty over Mateta's long-term future at Selhurst Park, journalist Alex Nixon claims that scouts from Palace are tracking Man City youngster Divin Mubama, who has impressed on loan at Championship promotion hopefuls Stoke City this season.
The 21-year-old has established himself as Stoke's first-choice striker under manager Mark Robins and has chipped in with five goals in 18 league appearances - only Sorba Thomas (seven) has netted more for the Potters.
Mubama's standout performance this term came at the beginning of November when he scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in Stoke's 5-1 home win over Bristol City.
He has also impressed at international level with England Under-21s, scoring five goals in as many matches in European Championship qualifying in 2025.
The decision was made for Mubama to join Stoke on a season-long loan deal in the summer in order to gain regular first-team football, something he was not guaranteed at Man City who possess goal machine Erling Haaland.
© Imago Mubama's long-term Man City future remains unclear
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Mubama, who joined Man City from West Ham United in August 2024 when a compensation package of £2m was agreed between the two clubs following the expiration of his contract at the London Stadium.
Mubama was initially placed into City's Elite Development squad and enjoyed a stellar 2024-25 campaign in Premier League 2, scoring 10 goals and registering four assists in the league phase, before netting six more goals in four games during the playoffs as the Citizens clinched the title.
The London-born striker also trained regularly with Pep Guardiola's senior squad and scored on his first-team debut for Man City in a thumping 8-0 FA Cup third-round victory over Salford City in January.
Should Mubama fire Stoke to Premier League promotion this term, the Potters will presumably be keen to keep hold of the youngster, but the possibility of regularly representing a Crystal Palace outfit, who may have qualified for Europe once again, could appeal to him if Man City cannot offer him a clear route into their senior squad.
Palace's alleged interest in Mubama comes at a time when Glasner has encouraged the club to sign a new attacker in the January transfer window.