Chelsea could be forced to cash in on Mason Mount in the summer transfer window, with Todd Boehly currently unwilling to budge in negotiations over a new contract for the midfielder.
Mount, who has less than 18 months left on his current deal at Stamford Bridge, has been locked in talks over a new deal throughout the season. The 24-year-old last signed a new contract in July 2019 after impressing on loan with Frank Lampard at Derby.
He has come on leaps and bounds since then, being named Chelsea ’s player of the season for the past two campaigns. The England international wants a contract which reflects his status in the squad, but Boehly is playing hard ball.
According to the Evening Standard, little progress has been made between the two camps in recent weeks. While Mount is hoping to triple his current £80,000-a-week wages, Boehly is determined to keep a lid on things and is pointing to the earnings of the January arrivals as evidence of the current structure.
The report states that Liverpool and other clubs inside the Premier League ’s big six may well test Chelsea’s resolve this summer if no agreement is reached. That could lead to Mount leaving alongside fellow midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher, who are also yet to hear from the hierarchy about a new deal.
The Blues are currently focused on their players whose contracts expire in June, with Thiago Silva and N’Golo Kante the priorities. While Silva is very likely to pen a new agreement to stay beyond his 39th birthday, Kante’s situation is much more precarious, with Chelsea unwilling to hand him a three-year contract following a spell of injuries.
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Mount’s £80,000-per-week contract does not even put him inside the top 20 earners at Chelsea. He believes his consistency over the past few seasons means he deserves to be pulling in a similar amount to his friends in the England set-up.
Raheem Sterling is believed to earn around £325,000 per week with Chelsea, while Reece James recently signed a new deal worth around £250,000 per week. Mount’s representatives have rejected an offer of around £200,000 per week for their client back in November.
Like many players at Chelsea, Mount’s long-term future at the club has been called into question by the recent splurge on new signings. Boehly has spent over £600million on signings in the past two transfer windows, with a £105m deal for Enzo Fernandez breaking the Premier League transfer record in January.
Mykhaylo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, David Fofana, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix and Malo Gusto were all also signed in January, meaning an exodus could be on the cards in the summer, with Graham Potter currently overseeing a bloated squad.