Chelsea risk losing England star Mount on a free transfer

FT Desk

• 13 Nov 2022 03:27 CST
• 3 min read

Mason Mount is stalling on a new contract at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea facing the very real prospect of losing the England star on a free transfer at the end of next season.

The Blues spent more than €280 million on new players in the summer, Todd Boehly's first transfer window as the new owner, but Mount, and academy graduate, remains one of their best players.

He has started every game since Graham Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel as coach, and is one of the few players who has continued to shine despite the London club's recent on-field wobbles.

READ: Mason Mount masterclass proves why he remains Chelsea's most important player

Mount will go to the upcoming World Cup in Qatar with England as a likely starter for Gareth Southgate, and at 23, he represents Boehly's "Vision 2030" perfectly - the American wanting to recruit or nurture players who will remain an asset to the club by the end of the decade.

But that is if he stays.

"Mason Mount is set to enter the last 18 months of his Chelsea deal without agreeing new terms after stalemate in contract talks over extending his time at Stamford Bridge," report the Telegraph.

"The England midfielder, 23, has been in discussions since the summer over fresh terms at the club he has spent his entire career, although there has yet to be a breakthrough."

READ: When does the contract of every Chelsea player expire?

Reece James example

Chelsea agreed terms with Mount's former academy teammate Reece James in September, making him the highest-paid defender in the history of the club - quite a statement considering John Terry, Ashley Cole and Marcel Desailly have passed through their doors.

As a more attacking player, Mount will hope to at least match James' £250,000-a-week (€285,300) wages, which is already nearly three times what he currently earns.

Mount has also previously played for Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County, but both were loan spells with Mount having been tied to Chelsea uninterrupted since first joining the club as a six-year-old in 2005.