London [UK], January 21 (ANI): Crystal Palace on Thursday signed forward Jean-Philippe Mateta on an 18-month loan deal from Bundesliga side Mainz with an option to make the move permanent.

The 23-year-old Paris-born has been impressing for the German side Mainz with 10 goals in 17 appearances this season.

"I'm very happy to come to Crystal Palace and I look forward to training. Playing in the Premier League was my dream when I was a child. Now I can play, I will show the fans of Crystal Palace what I can do," Mateta said in a statement.

He began his professional career in the French third-tier, before a major move to seven-times champions Lyon. After excelling on loan with Le Harve, Mateta moved to Mainz, where he established himself as a regular in the German top-flight, scoring 27 goals in 71 games in total, including a hat-trick against SC Freiburg during this campaign.

On the international stage, Mateta was part of the France side that reached the last four of the Under-21 European Championships in 2019, scoring the opening goal in the semi-final.

Club Chairman Steve Parish said: "We have followed Jean-Philippe's development with keen interest for some time, and I'm so pleased that we have been able to bring him to south London.

"He is a player that is full of potential with a proven goal-scoring record, and his signing reiterates our commitment to ensuring we have a well-balanced squad in terms of youth and experience for the seasons ahead," he added. (ANI)

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