Manchester United can secure Champions League qualification tonight and the Premier League giants are ‘confident’ that victory over Chelsea can set them on their way to bringing in Mason Mount.
After this evening’s clash at Old Trafford – Manchester United hosting Chelsea in their penultimate game of the league season – the next time we see Mason Mount in action at the Theatre of Dreams, will he be wearing red rather than blue?
Following the Daily Mail’s claims earlier in the week that the Red Devils are preparing a £55 million bid for the England international, a flurry of other reports have emerged with the smart money now on Mount – takeover permitting – ending up in Manchester rather than Liverpool or North London.
The Athletic say that Mount is ‘leaning’ towards Erik ten Hag’s upwardly-mobile side.
And, according to The Independent, there is a ‘confidence’ at United that Champions League qualification will give them the edge over a Liverpool side who may soon be gearing up for a season in the Europa League.
All United need to do is avoid defeat at home to Chelsea and Fulham, and a top-four spot will be theirs.
Manchester United confident of signing Chelsea’s Mason Mount
Mount, meanwhile, is out of contract in the summer of 2024. He has already turned down offers of an extension, and appears likely to form a key part of Ten Hag’s summer rebuild; the former Ajax boss prioritising homegrown, Premier League-proven options.
Tottenham striker Harry Kane and West Ham captain Declan Rice are also priority targets (Sky Sports).
“I would like to sign English players,” Ten Hag said shortly after taking over in 2022. “Because I think there is only one criteria, and that’s quality in combination with the price.
“It looks like English players are quite expensive. It’s a fact you cannot deny. In the end, it’s about quality.”
Mount, despite his precarious contract situation, could still set United back a fee in the region of £70 million. Tottenham and West Ham, meanwhile, are likely to demand even more than that for Kane and Rice respectively.