There was very little Todd Boehly could have done to keep Andreas Christensen or Antonio Rudiger at the club last summer. There wasn't too much to be done in order to stop N'Golo Kante and Jorginho running theirs down with uncertainty either. Outside of that, the contract situations have been kept largely in check.
Reece James was convinced to sign a much improved and deserved long-term deal, Armando Broja committed himself to the club too, whilst the new signings are all tied down. Talk of a new deal for Kante is ongoing and Chelsea are actively looking to get that done with terms favouring them.
Mason Mount is a different kettle of fish. In some ways his circumstances mirror that of Edouard Mendy and the issue for the players is that neither is in good enough form to warrant much power. That's the unfortunate truth.
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Mendy wants to be paid alongside the most important players in the squad having signed his deal in 2020 as a relative outsider and with no expectation of becoming a Champions League winner. He is now 30 though and has been replaced in goal by Kepa Arrizabalaga, while Chelsea are also looking for a new first choice keeper.
Mount's situation is different. He has been at the club since the age of eight, he's been a two-time club player of the season and outperformed almost all of the club's new signings since his debut in 2019. He has rarely been able to mix performances with output though, leading to immense polarisation within the fanbase.
This season has been his worst by far. Not only are his goal contributions lacking massively, his performances haven't been there to support him either. There are mitigating factors though, as very few squad members have been anywhere close to their best this season and the chance of manager on top of positional versatility has meant Mount isn't doing the same thing week-in,-week-out.
That doesn't excuse the admission that he hasn't been good enough and would arguably be out of the side had injuries not plagued the side so much. Now, with 18-months left on his deal there is a stand-off. Mount wants to be rewarded for what he has done at the club so far, which is rivalled by only Thiago Silva, Reece James and Mendy, you would say.
James became the club's best ever paid defender in 2022 but he is playing to a world-class level currently whereas Mount isn't and the new owners haven't seen him close to his best yet. There is still time for this to be resolved, but as Mount continues to struggle on the field his strength in negotiations doesn't change and that adds to the uncertainty, especially with Liverpool interested in making a move for him, should things not be wrapped up.
Then comes another, wider point. Mount is potentially key to any transfer of Declan Rice, especially with Champions League football looking extremely unlikely. The two are best friends and came up through the club's youth system together before Rice was released aged 14. Now he's one of the most sought after defensive midfielders in the world.
His deal is up at the same time as Mount's but West Ham are resigned to selling in 2023 in order to recoup some money. Chelsea are much less likely to take the same course of action with Mount, especially as they will be under less pressure to keep hold of one of their stars.
It has always felt like Rice may well end up back at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea haven't yet made a formal offer for him and face a battle with Arsenal and Liverpool to sign him in the summer. The Gunners have come from nowhere to become of the most attractive potential destinations for players, with Rice no different.
According to the Guardian he is now leaning towards a move to North London rather than SW6. That would be a hammer blow to Chelsea after courting for the player across several seasons. If Mount wasn't to sign and Rice was to be in red next season rather than blue, then Chelsea would be licking the wounds for a long time and just the thought of such an outcome should motivate the club to do their best at stopping it from happening.
Whereas Boehly and Co were too late to stop Erling Haaland from joining Manchester City and missed out on the chance to snatch up players last summer they aren't in that position anymore, as shown by their aggressive winter dealings.
Mount's contract and a move from Rice is different, though. These are tasks that have been there for the new owners to get sorted since their arrival and this time there may not be an excuse.
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