After agreeing to a deal to purchase Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60 million, Manchester United is prepared to make their first signing of the summer.
Chelsea was eager to put the Mount story behind them, and after conversations between the two teams, a deal was reached. Chelsea is already closing in on almost £200 million in sales during this window.
Man Utd have AGREED a deal with Chelsea to buy Mason Mount for an initial fee of £55m with a further £5m in add-ons 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Wkg41Knvvg
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 29, 2023
Erik ten Hag selected the player as a top target, and United are paying £55 million for him plus £5 million in add-ons. The midfielder will sign a five years contract at Old Trafford with the possibility of an additional year’s extension. They are also intensifying their efforts to woo Internazionale goalkeeper André Onana, who wants to join United and work with Ten Hag, his old Ajax manager.
After negotiations for a new deal with Chelsea fell through, Mount’s exit from the team where he spent his formative years seemed unavoidable. The 24 years old’s contract expires the next year, and he made it clear that he has no plans to sign an extension.
Over the past year, Mount’s relationship with the Chelsea leadership has deteriorated, and he will be hoping that moving to United will help him regain his form following a trying year.
Thomas Tuchel had plans to lure the England international to Bayern Munich, while Arsenal and Liverpool had also expressed interest in him. However, United have made the most of their efforts. Early this month, Sky Sport Premier League reported that Mount and United had already reached a personal agreement. Ten Hag values Mount’s work ethic, adaptability, and technical skill and wants to see more athleticism in the middle.
United made three offers, the first for £40 million, the second for £50 million, and the third for £55 million last week. Chelsea’s starting point was £70m plus add-ons, but last Friday they cut it to £65m. Important sources said that United would try to meet Chelsea sometime this week.
The sale of one of Chelsea’s most promising youth products will spark intense discussion among the club’s supporters. The Stamford Bridge supporters love Mount, who has 33 goals in 195 appearances. Frank Lampard, one of the finest players in the club’s history, predicted Mount would become the captain of Chelsea.
However, Mount had a difficult season due to injuries, and his future is now uncertain, which has had an impact. Mount currently earns about £75,000 per week, and Chelsea made him many offers, the largest of which was for almost £200,000 per week.
The committed professional who provided Kai Havertz with the assist so he could score the game winning goal against Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final will be remembered by the crowd.
However, as part of their comprehensive purge, Chelsea sold Havertz to Arsenal on Wednesday for £65 million. N’Golo Kanté, Kalidou Koulibaly, Édouard Mendy, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have all relocated to Saudi Arabia, while Hakim Ziyech will soon join Al-Nassr for £15 million plus add-ons.