Paul Merson has insisted that Chelsea cannot sell Mason Mount this summer, labelling the 24-year-old as ‘one of their best players’.
The dynamic midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp seeks to overhaul his squad at the end of the season and it’s believed that the Reds currently ‘lead the list’ for the England international’s signature.
“Their next window is massive, they need to get a centre-forward in and clear out what they need to clear out,” Merson told Sky Sports (as quoted by Rousing The Kop). “One of the players who is supposed to be going is Mason Mount, he’s one of their best players, that can’t happen in my opinion.”
Chelsea will not be wanting to sell the Portsmouth-born talent, especially not to a major rival like ourselves, but Mount is approaching the final year of his current deal at Stamford Bridge and there’s currently no signs that a fresh deal will be agreed.
The versatile star is believed to be wanting £200,000-per-week to remain in the capital but with many Chelsea stars expected to take a pay cut in the summer with the club unlikely to achieve a top four finish – his wage demands will not be met.
Todd Boehly has already spent £600m this season on attempting to strengthen the Blues squad and he will be desperate to recoup some of that money by selling players in the summer – something that will also reduce the risk of punishment under the Financial Fair Play regulations.
There’s no doubt that the Chelsea No. 19 is a great player and has been one of the standout performers for his club in recent years but this season he has found regular game time hard to come by and has registered just three goals and six assists in 35 appearances (across all competitions).
Liverpool are believed to be ‘confident’ that they can lure the midfielder to L4 this summer and Klopp could very well be the man to get him back to his best.