Erik ten Hag tried to sign Mason Mount five years ago... when the Manchester United boss was in charge of Dutch giants Ajax.
The Red Devils have submitted a third bid for Mount, 24, after Chelsea rejected their first two approaches. United have offered £55million for the England international, £10m short of Chelsea's asking price. It's unclear whether the Blues will accept the bid.
Ten Hag has been an admirer of Mount since he completed a loan spell at Ajax's Eredivisie rivals Vitesse during the 2017-18 campaign. The midfielder was outstanding that season, scoring 14 goals and providing 10 assists to be named Vitesse's Player of the Year.
Mount is poised to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after failing to agree a new contract. The United target's existing deal expires in a year's time and Chelsea are willing to sell him now rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Mount, who was also named in the Eredivisie's Team of the Season during his loan spell at Vitesse, caught Ten Hag's attention after starring in a 3-2 home win against Ajax. That persuaded Ten Hag to make a loan bid for the emerging talent.
PSV Eindhoven, Sporting Lisbon, Werder Bremen and several English clubs were also after Mount's signature, but the teenager picked Derby. The Championship side were managed by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, which is perhaps why Mount chose them.
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That proved to be a wise decision, as Mount thrived for the Rams in the Championship and has since gone on to become a regular for Chelsea and at international level. He's won 36 senior caps for England - representing his country at Euro 2020 and last year's World Cup in Qatar - and has won plenty of honours.
The two-time Chelsea Player of the Year has won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, as well as played in three FA Cup finals and one Carabao Cup final. He also lifted silverware at youth level, including the U19 Euros and two FA Youth Cups.
That impressive CV shows exactly why Ten Hag wants to finally add Mount to his squad. Mount's manager at Vitesse was Henk Fraser, who has compared the Chelsea star to Frenkie de Jong - the Barcelona favourite who Ten Hag tried to sign a year ago.
United spent most of last summer's transfer window trying to lure De Jong to Old Trafford, but Ten Hag's former Ajax midfielder refused to budge. The Red Devils are hoping their pursuit of Mount does not turn into a lengthy transfer saga.
"I have had the pleasure of working with Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jonathan de Guzman," Fraser told De Telegraaf in 2019. "All of them top players with a great drive at a young age. But I think Mason was further [along].
"It may be a strange comparison, but Mason is very similar to Johan Cruyff. He is wiry, watery and so fast at the ball and in his head that he never actually enters the duels. Just like Frenkie de Jong."
