Liverpool are likely to beat Manchester City in the race to sign Chelsea and England midfielder Mason Mount.
Mount is out of contract in 2024 and talks over a new deal have stalled in recent months. It has been reported that he will be sold this summer if he does not sign a new contract before then.
The Englishman has been a key player under several managers at Stamford Bridge but he has slipped down the pecking order of late. He has been out of action in recent weeks as a result of a pelvis injury.
The Blues face Aston Villa on Saturday evening and it is hoped that Mount will be involved. Speaking earlier this week, Chelsea boss Graham Potter praised the midfielder, who is a “top professional”.
“It’s been tough for him because he’s had niggly injuries and noise off the pitch,” Potter said. “He’s a top professional, how he’s acted with me and around us has been top.
“Sometimes, if things in your career aren’t optimal, you’ve got to act well and he has.”
Liverpool have been heavily linked with Mount and it was claimed last month that he is ‘very likely’ to leave Chelsea in the summer.
Football Insider are now reporting that Liverpool are ‘edging closer’ to signing Mount.
Man City are also ‘working on’ a deal to recruit the Chelsea man, but he is ‘more likely to join the Merseysiders’. The report adds.
‘The Blues have attempted to tie down the midfielder to a new contract and have offered him a deal worth £180,000-per-week. ‘The club are refusing to budge on their latest offer but Mount is keen to be paid the same as £250,000-a-week teammate Reece James. ‘Liverpool are keen on bringing Mount to Anfield as they being a huge overhaul of their midfield this summer and the player is believed to be a big fan of Reds boss Jurgen Klopp.’
A separate report from Christian Falk has poured cold water on the possibility of Mount reuniting with Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
‘There were many rumours about Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. I also read that there was a meeting last week between Declan Rice’s father and Bayern – none of this is true,’ Falk wrote for Caught Offside.
‘Tuchel had talks with the Bayern bosses last Tuesday and, yes, they talked about Havertz. The club bosses and Tuchel agreed, however, that, at the moment, there simply isn’t a position for Havertz in the squad; they have plenty of good players capable of doing his role. They have to sell players to consider talks for Havertz.’
