Liverpool are firmly in the hunt to sign Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount as his continues to be at loggerheads with the Londoners over a new deal.
The Cobham academy graduate has risen through the ranks, with a sparking spell at Derby County in the middle, to establish himself as a first-team starter at Stamford Bridge. While some stars have been rewarded with new bumper extensions in west London, Mount remains in the cold.
As a result, the Reds are looking to swoop in and snap up the England international. The ECHO understands that the 24-year-old is high on the list of midfield priorities among chiefs at Anfield, as Jude Bellingham remains the main target.
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This week, Mount's Chelsea teammate Conor Gallagher became the latest name to be mooted with a summer move to Merseyside as Jurgen Klopp plots an upheaval during the off-season.
Manchester United have became one of the latest names to be linked with a potential move for Mount - and following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel last week, Bayern Munich have also been credited with interest in a possible reunion with the German boss.
The Liverpool ECHO spoke to football.london's Chelsea writer Bobby Vincent to get the lowdown on the in-demand midfielder.
"Chelsea and Mount are still some way off regarding an extension on his contract," he said on the latest development surrounding Mount.
"He wants a salary that reflects his significance to the Chelsea squad over the last few seasons. The Blues do value him but aren’t willing to meet his demands on that front and the club are also trying to tie him down to a super long contract, around seven years.
"Mount and his entourage aren’t so keen on this because there will be less room to negotiate in the future should they wish to do so. Liverpool and both Manchester clubs are interested.
"Liverpool are the front-runners at the moment and as I reported recently, the Reds have done some groundwork and believe they can persuade Mount to move to Anfield."
Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are among the midfielders likely to leave Anfield in the summer after the expiry of their contracts. The midfield has been a department up for discussion during the torrid campaign for Klopp's side.
And going into the closing stages of the season, following the stalemate at Stamford Bridge, the Reds now face an uphill task of hacking away at the deficit that Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Newcastle United all hold in and around the European places.
Jordan Henderson and Fabinho have been under the spotlight for their performances this season plus James Milner entering the final months of his current deal at Liverpool.
Vincent believes that Mount would be a match for what is required to flourish in Klopp's team. He continued: "Mount is someone I believe would suit Jurgen Klopp’s system, especially because Liverpool are after a goalscorer from midfield.
"This season, he has only scored three goals but in recent campaigns, he has shown he is someone who can pop up with a goal from midfield.
"He’s someone who off the ball is particularly impressive but is also very dangerous when dribbling at the opposition. He could improve his final pass sometimes. One thing that he’s been criticised for at Chelsea is not getting enough assists from open play."
Like proceedings at Anfield, Chelsea's season has been far from perfect. In September, Tuchel was relieved of his duties and replaced by Graham Potter in the first sacking since Todd Boehly took over at Stamford Bridge.
Just six months later, on the eve of Tuesday's goalless draw, the former Brighton & Hove Albion manager was sacked from his position. It now looks as though Frank Lampard, dismissed by Everton in January, will return to Chelsea in an interim role until the end of the season.
Vincent added: "This season has been poor, no doubt, but it’s difficult from the outside to know whether the off-field situation has been a distraction to [Mount]. [If] he plays under Bruno Saltor, that will be his third head coach of the season as well so that’s far from ideal. However, last season he scored 11 and assisted 10 in the Premier League alone.
"To get double-digits in both goals and assists is very rare. He has been voted Player of the Season twice since breaking into the first-team under Frank Lampard so that tells you enough. He’s been so crucial for Chelsea in domestic and European competitions in recent seasons."
Last season Liverpool pipped Chelsea to both domestic cups via penalties and finished 18 points clear of them as the Reds narrowly missed out on the Premier League title on the final day.
It's a different tale this campaign however. Going into the final 10 games, the Reds are seven points off the Champions League places as they sit in eighth four points clear of the SW6 side.
And selling to a direct rival "could come back to haunt them", Vincent believes. He explained: "Chelsea selling to a direct rival like Liverpool could really come back to haunt them.
"The club don’t want to do so but could be left with no other option. Todd Boehly and the new ownership are trying to be much more decisive when it comes to players in the latter stages of their contracts and avoid mistakes made by the club in recent history.
"There is an overriding feeling from a lot of Chelsea supporters that they may come to regret selling Mount to Liverpool or one of the Manchester clubs. There are plenty, and it’s well documented, of fans who really do not like Mount, though, so the feeling, if he does leave, will be very mixed in the Chelsea fanbase.
"In my personal opinion, selling Mount to Liverpool to strengthen their midfield would be a mistake on Chelsea’s part."
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