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Could Mason Mount leave Chelsea?
The 24-year-old midfielder is out of contract with his boyhood club in 2024 and is yet to sign a new deal with the Blues, with Graham Potter speaking about the dispute last week.
He said: “My feelings for Mason are clear. I think he’s a fantastic person, but sometimes these things happen,” Potter said. “They are just complicated and it’s best that I speak little about it and let both parties get on with it.
“I am not naive. It’s an important time for him, it’s an important contract. These things have to be right for him and his family and it’s important he makes his decision on that basis.”
Fabrizio Romano has also claimed that there is still a big gap between Mount and Chelsea in discussions over a new contract, and if the two parties cannot agree on a deal before the summer, then the England international will be on the market in the summer.
Liverpool are one side said to be extremely keen on signing the former Derby County loanee, who has been a regular at Stamford Bridge after impressing under Frank Lampard with the Rams in the Championship.
After hitting 11 goals and six assists in the second tier with Derby, Lampard felt he was ready for a starting role in the top flight and he has gone on to make 192 appearances, contributing 33 goals and 37 assists.
Joe Cole would label Mount a “manager’s dream” in 2021, and he lived up to that praise in the 2021/22 campaign, as he notched 11 goals and ten assists in the top flight, but he has sadly been unable to match those numbers in the current season and has lost his regular starting spot following the influx of attacking signings in the January transfer window.
Although his return of three goals and six assists so far this term has been disappointing, a fresh start could be what the Englishman needs to reach his true potential, with Chelsea potentially set to find themselves in another De Bruyne situation if the £80k-per-week Mount starts to shine with a top four rival.
The Belgium international would fail to make the grade at Chelsea after limited opportunities – playing on just nine occasions while registering a solitary goal involvement.
Since then, he has gone on to establish himself as one of the best in the world with Manchester City, contributing a remarkable 91 goals and 139 assists during his time at the Etihad.
Chelsea already look foolish for their decisions on De Bruyne and a certain Mohammed Salah too, but to lose a promising academy graduate to a Premier League rival over a contract dispute would surely be unforgivable.