Danny Murphy has admitted he is surprised that Chelsea and Mason Mount remain apart in contract negotiations as the England midfielder stalls on signing a new deal. The 23-year-old still has until 2024 but has been slower than fellow Cobham graduates Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja to committing himself to the club long-term.
Part of Todd Boehly's early remit as co-owner has been to tie down current stars to extended deals, almost baseball style, and so far it has bared fruit with James signing until 2028 in recent months. The decision to hold onto these players comes in a total structure change that also rewards the best performing players.
Chelsea have come into issues recently with underperforming players stuck on large wages, making it hard to offload them or get value for money on top of the large transfer fees. Boehly is trying to implement a more efficient structure and keeping Mount at Stamford Bridge would represent another key player with future aspirations at SW6, but things aren't across the line yet.
