Manchester United could soon agree a deal to bring Mason Mount to Old Trafford this summer.
The Red Devils are reportedly only £5m away from Chelsea’s ideal valuation of the Englishman (upfront bid and add-ons) as an exit from the Blues looms.
“Big news for Man United fans – the club made Chelsea a third (and improved) offer for Mason Mount on Friday,” Fabrizio Romano informed CaughtOffside. “It was worth £55m (inclusive of £5m in add-ons) but despite United feeling really confident it would be accepted, Chelsea pushed back and have asked for £58m upfront with £7m in add-ons instead. Deal still open.”
Liverpool had been thought to be keen on the 24-year-old (The Athletic), though now appear to be exploring alternative avenues, with the likes of Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, Gabri Veiga and Ryan Gravenberch amongst the shortlist of admired names.
Standing at 5’11”, we have some reservations about the value of landing another midfielder under six feet (with Alexis Mac Allister registering at 5’9″).
That’s not to dismiss Mount’s obvious quality out of hand – as FBref indicate, the Chelsea star is far from a poor operator in the middle of the park, proving more than creatively adept (86th percentile for shot-creating actions) and a reliable carrier of the ball (85th percentile for progressive carries).
However, with Liverpool suffering as far as physicality and dynamism were concerned in the midfield department in 2022/23, few could blame the club for seeking out far more imposing options in the market like Thuram (standing at 6’4″).