Manchester United have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Mason Mount in a deal worth up to £60million.
United had a third bid worth £55m rejected last week but have now agreed to pay an initial fee of £55m plus £5m in difficult add-ons.
Mount has been given permission to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms, with the clubs set to put the finishing touches to paperwork.
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United had warned Chelsea that they would not go above their improved offer of £50m plus £5m and were considering alternatives, with the west London club making a counter-proposal of £58m plus £7m in add-ons.
But talks between the clubs appear to have finally yielded a positive conclusion for all parties.
Mount had a year left to run on his deal at Stamford Bridge but contract negotiations cooled and Chelsea were keen to comply with the England international’s wishes over a potential exit.
The 24-year-old is a product of the Chelsea academy and has made 195 appearances for the club since his first-team debut in 2017, scoring 33 goals.
He spent two seasons out on loan at Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County between 2017 and 2019 before establishing himself as a first-team regular in Frank Lampard’s first spell at Chelsea.
Mount struggled with a pelvic injury towards the back end of the 2022-23 season and missed Chelsea’s final-day draw against Newcastle United.
This move has potential, but might not be a seamless adaptation. The most obvious move would be for Mount to replace Christian Eriksen next to Casemiro. Mount could provide the same progressive passing, set-piece delivery and late entries into the box of Eriksen while improving United’s defensive intensity when out of possession.
There is some method in United’s pursuit of someone seven years younger than the Dane who can provide similar attacking output plus superior defensive resistance. The question is whether being better than Eriksen or United’s other box-to-box midfielders is a good enough benchmark for what United want to achieve in future seasons.
Manchester United must use Mason Mount saga to prove negotiating mettle.
( The Athletic Media)
