But according to United, Chelsea will have to choose between dropping its demands or risk losing Mount for nothing next summer. Despite Chelsea rejecting Manchester United’s first offer of £40 million for Mason Mount, the Old Trafford club is certain that he won’t agree to a new deal with the Londoners.
Despite the fact that Mount only has one year left on his contract, Telegraph Sport can exclusively reveal that United made their first firm bid for him on Wednesday, although it was far below what Chelsea valued the midfielder at.
Mount has a £70 million price tag from Chelsea, so it will be interesting to see whether United makes a rapid counteroffer or plays the waiting game.
While Chelsea would be willing to resume contract discussions with Mount, United is certain that the 24 years old will not agree to a new term and thinks the London club must choose between lowering their asking price or letting the player leave for free after a year.
Mount’s contract negotiations with Chelsea have frequently fallen through, with the one year extension offer being flatly refused. The London club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League and the ongoing negotiations over the player’s future between the ownership and co-sporting director Paul Winstanley are not thought to be the cause of the player’s reluctance to commit his future to the club.
Although it is unknown whether the Argentine would prefer to sell Mount rather than keep a player in the final year of his contract, the new head coach Mauricio Pochettino had been anxious to keep him.
According to last week’s report by Telegraph Sport, clubs are refusing to pay the roughly £70 million asking price for Kai Havertz, which presents a problem for Chelsea in addition to the Mount situation.
After weeks and months of negotiations, The @Matt_Law_DT and Mike show is BACK! 🎥
Bringing you all the hot topics including:
Mbappe's contract row ✍️
Harry Kane's future 🤷♂️@McGrathMike's chosen attire 🩳
And much, much more transfer news 🔄🗞️#TelegraphFootball pic.twitter.com/TjqR1F2eKp— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) June 13, 2023
If Havertz’s price reduced drastically, Arsenal would be willing to increase their interest in him. Real Madrid has also looked at the German player but isn’t willing to pay more than roughly £50 million for him.
Havertz is thought to be interested in the possibility of transferring to the Emirates, and Chelsea is aware of Arsenal’s interest in the player. The 24 years old has two years left on his contract and is being pursued by a third club, who is rumored to be Bayern Munich. He has not yet expressed any interest in signing a contract extension.
Following a recruitment meeting, Inter Milan wants to re-sign Romelu Lukaku and add Kalidou Koulibaly.
Despite interest from Saudi Arabia and Chelsea’s willingness to let him work with Pochettino, Lukaku is believed to prefer to stay at Inter, either permanently or on a loan.
Koulibaly had a difficult first season in England, and Inter’s interest in both the center defender and Lukaku makes it possible that Chelsea may try to sign goalkeeper Andre Onana using one or both of these players.
Regardless of Lukaku’s future, Pochettino wants to add a new striker to his team. Victor Osimhen, Rasmus Hojlund, Dusan Vlahovic, Lautaro Martnez, and Nicolas Jackson are other options. There have also been discussions about moving Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
The buy out clause in Jackson’s contract, which is estimated to be worth approximately £30 million, has other teams, including Aston Villa, interested in the 21 years old forward who scored 13 goals this season.