England midfielders are in high demand in the 2023 Premier League summer transfer window with old friends Declan Rice and Mason Mount both on the move ahead of the new campaign.
Reports have Rice moving to Arsenal in a £105m/$132m deal that is a club record signing for the Gunners. Now his former Chelsea academy teammate Mount is set to leave the Blues to try and reignite his career.
The pair emerged through the Chelsea youth ranks together, before Rice’s release and subsequent move to West Ham, as Mount continued on his path into the first team.
Despite a positive start to life under Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel, Mount’s role shrunk in the last 12 months, mainly due to injury, and he’ll look to jumpstart his career at Manchester United in a £60m/$76m transfer.
MORE: Chelsea transfers under Todd Boehly: How much money owners have spent
Why is Mason Mount leaving Chelsea?
Mount and his representatives kicked off contract talks with Chelsea owner Todd Boehly in the summer of 2022 as the 24-year-old entered the final two years of his contract.
However, despite initially appearing to be a relatively routine negotiation, based on Mount’s preference to remain at the club he has been with since he was six, talks failed to progress.
The main issue which has seen the situation deteriorate focuses on Chelsea’s stance over wages and contract length which Mount was reportedly unhappy with.
Mount’s current salary is lower than other Chelsea stars, and he also supposedly wanted assurances over playing time, as the club continued to trade managers in 2022/23.
His wages are around £100,000 ($126,000) per week, much lower than the majority of the Chelsea starting XI, and the club were unwilling to make a major increase.
Despite a late offer, Mount has seemingly already made his mind up to leave, and Chelsea are unwilling to risk him leaving for free in 2024 after losing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger for free in 2022.
Mason Mount transfer latest, Man United talks
Manchester United were always the clear frontrunners in the race to sign Mount, with Liverpool dropping their interest, despite Jurgen Klopp remaining a big fan of his.
Reports from BBC Sport claimed that United saw three different bids rejected, including an offer of £55m/$70.1m.
But on June 29, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that the two sides settled on a £60m/$76m transfer package agreement, including add-ons.
It should be a satisfactory return for Chelsea, who were reportedly pushing for £58m/$74m, plus a potential £7m/$8.9m in performance-related add-ons for a total of £65m/$82m. Close enough.
BREAKING: Manchester United agree £60m package deal for Mason Mount with Chelsea — it’s done, here we go! 🚨🔴 #MUFC
Personal terms agreed weeks ago and face to face talks between clubs made it clear: the agreement is done.
Mount becomes Utd player — they NEVER left the race. pic.twitter.com/tusESsyp2x
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2023
Mason Mount Chelsea record and trophies
Mount’s long association with Chelsea will be difficult to break for the midfielder after spending so many years at the club from a child through to becoming a first-team star.
He won four major titles at underage level, including the UEFA Youth League (the underage equivalent of the UEFA Champions League), before going on to make 195 senior appearances across all competitions with 33 goals scored.
His most memorable moment came with an assist for Kai Havertz as Tuchel’s Blues beat Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League final, before going on to win the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
🔵 Kai Havertz’s first Champions League goal ⚽️🏆@kaihavertz29 | @ChelseaFC | #UCL pic.twitter.com/cc6TpzflbU
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 2, 2021
