Liverpool’s interest in Chelsea’s Mason Mount has already been well-documented, though it remains unclear exactly as to the Reds’ chances of snapping up the Blues star in the next window.
The Stamford Bridge-based outfit is understood to still be holding talks with the England international (currently on £80,000-a-week, according to Capology) over extending his stay in London, though Fabrizio Romano’s update on the matter hardly suggests the process is a smooth one between both parties.
“I’m aware of some rumours that Mason Mount is not injured and is out of the Chelsea squad for other reasons,” the Italian exclusively informed CaughtOffside.
“I have no confirmation on the speculation, but for sure the contract situation isn’t helping Mount right now.
“It’s not an easy negotiation for the new contract. I’m aware of Liverpool interest, but it’s too early to say where Mason will end up.”
With a contract set to expire in 2024, Graham Potter’s side will soon quickly run out of wiggle room when it comes to maximising the potential value they can extract from a sale.
Which is where we may look to come in and capitalise on a player that seems, on paper, to be an ideal fit for Jurgen Klopp’s system.
Liverpool-linked Mason Mount making an appearance along with Firmino and Elliott 👀 #LFC https://t.co/uA063vKHwh
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) March 9, 2023
Whether we’d be prepared to fork out £64.9m (the player’s current worth, by Football Transfers‘ estimations) for the 24-year-old’s services is another matter entirely.
One might hope that our recruitment team would be capable of negotiating a discount (even when taking into account the potential rival tax that will inevitably be added on to the total) given the player’s current contract difficulties.
The ball’s in Chelsea’s court ultimately, though we’d highly doubt handing the player over to another club (perhaps still a rival) for free in 2024 will sit as a more palatable solution by contrast compared to accepting a cut-price fee this summer.