Liverpool eye up surprise move for Chelsea’s Mount
Mason Mount could be set for a sensational switch to Liverpool, with the Reds thought to be interested in his services as so far unsuccessful contract talks with Chelsea continue.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are joined by Max Allegri’s Juventus in reportedly keeping track of developments between the England star and the club where he has spent his entire career.
The 23-year-old has only 18 months left on his Stamford Bridge contract, and though discussions have carried on from the summer, they have since been put on hold for Mount to focus on the World Cup, and will not resume until January.
Chelsea are thought to be very keen on extending Mount’s deal at the club, and he is even viewed as a future captain in west London, so highly-valued is he to the Blues.
But his current deal makes him one of the lowest-paid players in Graham Potter’s side despite the fact that the 23-year-old has proven himself to be one of Chelsea’s key players over several seasons now.
And though he is believed to be highly regarded by the Chelsea hierarchy, their valuation of his importance the team is clearly falling somewhat short of Mount’s own opinion of what he is worth to Potter.
Not only is he one of the brightest attacking midfield talents in the country, but Mount also brings more than three seasons of Premier League experience as a mainstay in the Chelsea side.
He also possesses lethal dead-ball capabilities, and has 26 goals and 24 Premier League assists to his name in 119 Chelsea appearances.
Interest from Liverpool and Juventus does not necessarily represent a potential progression in his career, but both clubs do bring interesting opportunities for Mount.
Both sides are in desperate need of midfield reinforcement, and in Liverpool’s case Mount would find little competition for minutes whilst also playing in behind some of Europe’s most clinical forwards in Mo Salah, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.
At Juventus he would find a side that are in need of kickstarting in order to return to their position at the peak of Italian football, desperately bereft of creativity in midfield, which Mount would readily supply.
However, Chelsea have not shown signs of panicking just yet, and the fact that talks have continued for so long shows how keen they are to keep Mount.
They have shown in recent months how willing they are to reward youth, handing Armando Broja and Reece James extended deals, and the interest of other clubs could only prove to force Chelsea’s hand.
They will be all too aware of the fact that they have recently lost the likes of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for nothing last summer, as well as having N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Thiago Silva also approaching the end of their own contracts.
