REVEALED: Ten Hag chased Mount deal for SIX YEARS

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 6 Jul 2023 10:49 BST
• 3 min read

Mason Mount's move to Manchester United from Chelsea may have initially come as a shock to Blues fans, but Erik ten Hag has been a long-term admirer of the England midfielder…

Mount completed his £60 million move to Old Trafford on Wednesday, signing a five-year contract with the option of another season before being handed the club's famous No.7 jersey, previously worn by George Best, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Chelsea were naturally loath to lose Mount to a Premier League rival, although they have at least collected a significant fee rather than losing him on a free at the end of next season.

READ: Mason Mount: Chelsea gifting Man Utd top four

It has been understood since the end of last season that Ten Hag wanted to sign a versatile midfielder who would allow him to play the 4-3-3 he employed at Ajax more often, but significantly less widely known is quite how long Mount has been on his radar.

Ten Hag 'fully behind the move'

"Erik ten Hag was fully behind the move for the 24-year-old, having tracked Mount since the player spent the 2017-18 season on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Eredivisie," report The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell and Thom Harris. "Mount shone during Vitesse's 3-2 win over Ten Hag's Ajax in March 2018."

Indeed, Mount's first senior goal was scored for Vitesse against Utrecht when Ten Hag was still in charge of the latter back in October 2017.

READ: ANALYSIS: Can Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes play in the same team?

A midfield three from left to right of Mount, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes is a mouth-watering one for Man Utd fans, and it remains the most likely spot he will fill in, despite being handed the No.7 normally reserved for right wingers.

Mount has an ETV of €80.2m according to FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, so paying an initial £60m (€70m) for his services represents shrewd business from the Red Devils.