Manchester United are heavily keen to sign Mason Mount from Chelsea but they are yet to lodge an official bid for the England midfielder, as per Fabrizio Romano.
The Guardian journalist has claimed that the Blues do not want to negotiate a deal for the 24-year-old unless their valuation of £80m for the player is met.
The Red Devils – who have reportedly agreed personal terms with Mount already – want to pay much less than that. Mount has a contract until 2024, and he is keen to move away from Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile, as per ESPN, United have received the green light from the Glazers to complete the deal for Mount. There is uncertainty over the club’s ownership at the moment and Erik ten Hag remains in the dark over the transfer budget.
The Dutch manager will be looking to add more quality to the squad this summer after United secured the Champions League spot this season, and he has earmarked Mount as the club’s top priority signing.
Romano told Caughtoffside:
“There is still no official bid from Manchester United for Mason Mount. Chelsea don’t want to negotiate, as they have made it clear they want £80m or nothing – that’s their position. Man Utd want to pay a lot less than this, and so there is a big gap. Let’s see if things change as Mount is keen on the move, but at the moment Chelsea’s stance is a big issue.”
Playing hardball?
It is obvious here that Chelsea are looking to get the best deal for Mount. He is one of the club’s major assets and there’s no point in selling him on the cheap.
There are suggestions that United could look to include Harry Maguire as a part of the deal for Mount, but Chelsea may not be willing to accept that. They want direct cash which the club can re-invest into the side.
The problem is that no club will want to pay £80m for Mount given his contract situation. Chelsea can hope that the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal also join the race and they can eventually sell him to the highest bidder if he doesn’t agree a new deal at the club.
At the same time, Chelsea don’t want to lose for him free, and they will look to sell him this summer if Mount wants to move on. This is a very tricky situation, and United may have to wait for the right time to make a concrete move.
