Chelsea could see two major permanent departures take place this summer amid ongoing contract talks with Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante. Despite both playing prominent roles in west London over the last few seasons both could leave the club at the end of the campaign through a variety of contract-related reasons.
For Mount, his current deal expires in 2024 and while early negotiations initially began at the start of the season, minimal progress has been made. Regarding the 24-year-old there are a number of factors at play. Firstly, new co-owner Todd Boehly is less keen to offer lucrative contracts and is also adamant that a repeat of last summer, where Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen left on free transfers, will not happen again which means Mount either signs an extension or is sold.
After initially registering a light interest upon hearing about his contract dispute, Liverpool have now made Mount their priority this summer, football.london understands. The Cobham academy graduate made his Chelsea return against Real Madrid on Wednesday evening after dealing with an abdominal injury since the end of February.
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The arrival of Frank Lampard on an interim basis could help Mount's chances of staying and former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda has sent Todd Boehly his thoughts surrounding Mount's contract saga. "Mason Mount is from the academy and loves the club," Malouda told ICE 36. "Two years left on his contract is not a big deal for me, because the main thing for the club will be the players performance level and he always gives everything in a Chelsea shirt.
"Take the example of Mbappe. He was out of contract at PSG last summer and he renewed his contract. If you want to stay somewhere, financially it is not an issue, it is more about the project and your role within that.”
As for Kante, football.london reported in February, Chelsea are confident of an extension being agreed with Kante. The French midfielder has missed almost all of this season with a major hamstring injury, but he has since returned to the fold, playing 75 minutes against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“Kante is different. His future is tied to his fitness. We know that when he is fit, everyone wants him in the team," Malouda said. "He is a popular player, one of the best in his position in the world when he is at his best.
"I think the club needs to find the right formula to help him with his fitness but he is a player that belongs to the history of Chelsea, so it would be difficult to see him somewhere else. I think Chelsea need this type of player to keep that winning mentality and spirit at the club and we clearly need leaders, which is why I would like him to stay.”
He added: "I believe that they [Mount and Kante] are part of the DNA of the club, they’ve been there for a long time and have been very successful. [Kante] can lead the team back to a place where we can compete for the Champions League and where we can compete for the Premier League."
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