Mount AGREES personal terms with club who ‘expect’ to sign him

Robin Bairner

• 1 Jun 2023 02:01 CDT
• 3 min read

Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, with The Telegraph reporting that Erik ten Hag’s side have agreed contractual terms with the midfielder and expect to sign him.

Mount’s future at Stamford Bridge has been increasingly unclear since the turn of the year, with the England international refusing to sign a new contract with the Blues.

A clutch of leading Premier League clubs have gathered to sign him, with Man Utd in competition with Liverpool and Arsenal over the 24-year-old England international.

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It is reported that Man Utd’s success in landing Mount is set to be a particularly large blow to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who had targeted Mount and Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister as players to build their midfield around.

On the other hand, FootballTransfers understands that Arsenal are making good progress with deals to sign West Ham’s Declan Rice and Mac Allister’s Brighton teammate Moises Caicedo. They have also been linked with Real Valladolid youngster Ivan Fresneda, who has been dubbed a budget version of Jude Bellingham.

Chelsea are expected to demand a fee around £70 million for Mount, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of £62m (€72m).

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Mount a key Man Utd target

Erik ten Hag sees Mount as one of two vital players that he has to sign during the target window. He plans to use him as a No.8 to play alongside Casemiro, according to The Telegraph.

Following Man Utd’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea, talks have sped up significantly and it is stated that “it would be a big setback for Ten Hag if Mount did not sign now”.

The other leading priority for the Dutch manager is finding a No.9 following the departure of Wout Weghorst after a loan move that was always designed as a stop-gap solution to plug the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo in the winter.

Beyond Mount and a striker, Man Utd are also seeking defensive reinforcements, though the budget Ten Hag has hinges on the takeover, which remains in a state of limbo.