Liverpool have made Mason Mount their priority this summer, football.london understands.
As reported by our sister title, the Liverpool ECHO, the Reds have stepped up their interest in Mount even further and he is now the club's priority to begin their revamp of their struggling midfield. The 24-year-old has just over 12 months remaining on his contract at Stamford Bridge and the two parties are no closer to reaching an agreement over an extension.
Mount hasn't been anywhere near his best this season but his entourage still believe his wage package should be closer to some of the top earners at the club given his performances over the last few years. Meanwhile, Chelsea are looking to tie him down to a seven-year contract while Mount's camp want a shorter deal so there is more room to negotiate in the future.
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Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are massive admirers of Mount and believe this summer presents an opportunity to possibly sign him at a reduced price due to his contract situation. Chelsea, in an ideal world, would like Mount to extend his stay with the club but if it gets to the summer and the issue is not resolved, then they would be more open to selling, it's understood.
Mount missed Frank Lampard's first game on his return to the club at the weekend with the England international recently suffering from a pelvis injury. Lampard, when asked about the midfielder and his situation upon his return to Chelsea, was very coy and didn't give too much away, as expected.
Speaking in his introductory press conference, Lampard said: "I don't know enough about it to talk about it and I think it would be wrong for me to delve into anything other than the fact that Mason has always been a fantastic player for me. From my days at Derby and the impact he had there to coming back to Chelsea.
"It was an absolute pleasure to watch him – among others that I coached in that period like Reece James, Tammy Abraham, Tomori and others if I missed them – to have gone on to become huge players here or elsewhere, so that's great. 'Mason, I know, has had a few slight injury problems maybe so that's important for me to speak to him and find out where he's at, but I know what I get from Mason.
"In those terms, I just want to see him perform on the pitch and of course, we have a good relationship so we'll talk a lot. "I think that he’s a huge player for Chelsea and has been in his time here so I look forward to talking to him more."
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