Chelsea cannot make Mason Mount mistake

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Mason Mount faces an uncertain future at Chelsea after contract talks have stalled, with the England international looking increasingly likely to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Mount started at Chelsea’s academy and developed into one of the club’s most impressive and consistent players, with many expecting the 24-year-old to spend the prime of his career in West London.

Chelsea do not feel the player is worth the demands of his new contract and look set to cash-in, reportedly valuing Mount at around 70 million pounds, an extraordinarily high fee for a player that could leave for nothing in just 12 months.

This price-tag has not put off his potential suitors, with top six rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, as well as ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, now at Bayern Munich, keen on securing Mount’s long-term future. Interest from the biggest clubs in Europe, let alone your biggest local rivals, should sound alarm bells behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

Business between the top 6 is rare and usually occurs when a player is looking for a change of scenery and past their peak footballing ability. The last time Chelsea sold a player to Liverpool, it was striker Daniel Sturridge for 12 million pounds in 2013, with Sturridge turning into a more than capable and successful Premier League goal scorer. Nemanja Matic was the last player to swap London blue for Manchester red in 2017, reuniting with Jose Mourinho, but in this scenario Matic was 30 and past his peak.

Both transfers unfolded in a different context to Mason Mount. Mount is an experienced Premier League and England international that is 24 years old, he is a homegrown player and is yet to reach the highest level of his career. He has over 100 goal contributions at first team-level and has nearly 200 appearances for Chelsea. This is a player that would head to a Manchester United on the rise, or be key to Jurgen Klopp’s midfield rebuild.

Chelsea have spent 600 million in the past two transfer windows, they are changing the image and structure of the club post Roman Abramovic. In a time of chaos and change, it may be wiser to keep hold of players that understand the club, players that have earned their way through the ranks and have an attachment to Chelsea deeper than new and shiny 100 million pound signings.

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Dylan Johnson