Mason Mount is facing a difficult crossroads in his Chelsea career with new contract talks stalling as the midfielder endures his worst spell in a blue shirt. Talks over an extension were set to begin before the World Cup, although when the talks commenced the two parties were far apart on wage demands, with priorities shifting in west London and now negotiations are set to resume in the summer.
With his contract expiring in 2024, Mount faces a decisive few months both on and off the pitch with his long-term future at the club now in jeopardy. The Cobham graduate has faced criticism this season for inconsistent performances and the arrival of Joao Felix has seen him rack up fewer minutes recently after starting every game under Graham Potter, bar one, until he was dropped to the bench for the clash against West Ham.
One of the priorities for the Clearlake Capital consortium, led by Todd Boehly, following their takeover last year was to tie Mount down to a new long-term contract, football.london understands. Uncertainty surrounding his future has seen several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool and Manchester United, eye a summer move for Mount.
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The departures of key first-team stars Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers left Boehly stunned. The American owner is said to be insistent he will not allow exits of that magnitude, without Chelsea receiving funds, to happen again.
The overriding majority in the Chelsea fanbase appear content to allow Mount to depart his boyhood club as he would likely fetch a decent transfer fee with the sale counting as pure profit on the club’s books. However, former Chelsea star Joe Cole is of the opposite belief, insisting Chelsea should not forget what Mount has done for the club.
Speaking to 90min, Cole said: "Mason Mount is probably sitting there thinking: 'I have performed for this club for three or four years now, I won the Champions League, I've been pushed forward in every campaign...'.
"He's a leader, he sacrifices himself for the team. He wants to stay at Chelsea, I'm sure he does. I don't for the life of me understand, and I don't know the dealings - they're probably far apart on where they're valuing each other. He probably thinks: 'Where do I sit?'.
"He's out the team now, which is a dangerous position to be in for Mason and for Chelsea. Football is very fickle, we can forget what a good player Mason Mount is. Even more so in this generation, players go away for three or four weeks and they're forgotten. I think Chelsea need to remember what a great player he is. He will come good.
"[A contract renewal] would be the top of my list. There must be some middle ground to solve it."
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