Manchester United will reportedly submit a take-it-or-leave it ‘final’ offer of £50 million to lure Mason Mount away from Premier League rivals Chelsea after Arsenal gave up.
In their pursuit of the England international, it seems Manchester United are taking the approach favoured by one Sheikh Jassim.
Last week, the Qatari billionaire made what is largely accepted to have been his fifth and final offer to take the Red Devils out of the Glazer’s icy grip (BBC). Whether it is enough to fight off competition from Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains to be seen.
Ditto, United’s ongoing attempts to bring Mason Mount to Old Trafford.
The easy part has been done already. Mount, The Guardian say, has agreed personal terms ahead of a move that would see him join Three Lions team-mates Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw and co in the North West.
The difficult bit, however, is convincing Chelsea to let him go for a reasonable fee.
Man United still hope to agree Mason Mount fee with Chelsea
The Blues rejected United’s opening bid of £40 million this week. Now, The Mirror say that a new – and ‘final’ – offer of £50 million is being prepared. Chelsea are holding out for a rather fanciful £70 million but may be forced into a compromise, given that Mount will be a free-agent next summer and appears to have no intention of signing a contract extension at this stage.
Mount endured a difficult season – then again, who didn’t? – but his form during the 2021/22 campaign offers a tantalising insight into what he could bring to Old Trafford. The Portsmouth-born midfielder scored 13 goals and set up 16 more.
He could, in theory, ease the creative burden on Bruno Fernandes while also offering Ten Hag a more dynamic, athletic alternative to Christian Eriksen in the left-sided attacking midfield role.
“I’m not surprised that Mason Mount is a target for many managers. I don’t think it would be a priority here but (Ten Hag) does want midfield players,” United legend Gary Neville tells Sky Sports.
“You think of the Dutch coaching style. They want to dominate possession. (Ten Hag) wants that style. He loves Eriksen, he loves (Frenkie de Jong) De Jong, he loves (Bruno) Fernandes.
“He’s left Fred out of the team. He’s left McTominay out of the team more often than not because he loves more technical players. And Mount is a technical player who is available.”
The Athletic’s David Ornstein adds that – in addition to Liverpool – Arsenal were also hoping to get their mitts on Mount. The Gunners set their sights on his Chelsea team-mate Kai Havertz instead, however, once Mount made it clear that Old Trafford was his preferred destination.
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