Newcastle United and Arsenal target ‘leaning towards’ Man United move as contract talks stall

Mason Mount is reportedly keen on a move away from Chelsea after being linked with the likes of Newcastle United, Liverpool and Manchester United in recent weeks.

The 36-times capped England star will enter the final 12 months of his current deal at Stamford Bridge this summer and talks over an extension are yet to reach a successful conclusion. Interim manager Frank Lampard was asked about whether an agreement could be made to allow Mount to extend his time with his boyhood club but he gave little away, saying: “I don’t know. That’s not my answer to make. That’s between Mason and the club.”

Mount is just five appearances short of a double century for Chelsea after establishing himself in their senior setup following loan spells with Derby County and Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem. However, his involvement in their fixtures since the start of March has been limited to a 16-minute substitute appearance as a pelvis injury continues to trouble him.

Mount has an outside chance of returning to contention for Sunday’s season-ending meeting with Newcastle but it remains to be seen whether that game will bring down the curtain on his time as a Blue. The Athletic have now reported Mount is ‘leaning towards’ a move to Manchester United during the summer and has communicated his intention to a number of other clubs that have shown an interest in his services.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Newcastle are all said to have made their interest known but Mount is keen to move to Old Trafford and it is suggested talks between Chelsea and the 13-time Premier League champions could get underway ‘in due course’. Intriguingly, incoming Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino is suggested to be hopeful he can retain the services of Mount but that will depend on Chelsea bringing a successful end to negotations over a long-term deal and making progress that has proved out of reach since they opened last summer.