Mason Mount is preparing to say his goodbyes to Chelsea supporters at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with the midfielder increasingly likely to leave his boyhood club this summer.
Incoming head coach Mauricio Pochettino has indicated that he wants to keep Mount but is yet to exert any influence over his future amid a contract stand-off with Chelsea.
Mount has been left in limbo, having not had any direct contact with Pochettino despite some ongoing dialogue with the club over the past few weeks.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly last met the 24-year-old in April but there has yet to be a follow-up contract offer, raising the prospect that he will leave at the end of the season.
Mount has one year left on his contract and Manchester United are prepared to make an offer for him. Their interest is driven by admiration from manager Erik ten Hag, who tried to sign Mount on loan for Ajax after his spell with Vitesse in 2018.
Liverpool and Arsenal are also interested in Mount. If he does not agree a new contact this summer, Chelsea are ready to sell him to ensure they receive a transfer fee and do not risk losing him for free next summer. They could demand over £60million for him.
Chelsea’s latest offer to Mount was a one-year extension with a significant pay rise, but that would still have left the England international with an uncertain future.
Mount is out of Thursday’s trip to Old Trafford and struggling to be fit to make the final game of the season against Newcastle on Sunday after surgery on a nagging pubic bone injury.
But he will still be at Stamford Bridge for the Newcastle game, when the players will do a traditional end-of-season lap of appreciation after the match.
As talks between Chelsea and Pochettino drag on, Mount is one of many players who have been left in limbo. N’Golo Kante was close to signing a new two-year contract but his future again looks unclear with his deal expiring on June 30.
Like Mount, Mateo Kovacic is due to be out of contract at the end of next season. Talks are yet to start with the Croatian midfielder and he expects to be sold alongside Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Christian Pulisic, who will also see their deals expire next year.
Manchester City are keen on Kovacic, while AC Milan are in talks to sign Loftus-Cheek. Conor Gallagher has had feedback that Pochettino is keen to keep him but he has just two years left on his contract.
Chelsea are ready to recall Levi Colwill from his loan at Brighton but will need to quickly start contract talks with the centre-back. He has two years left on his deal, though a one-year extension will automatically be triggered if he plays 15 Premier League games for the Blues.
Edouard Mendy expects to be sold but he has yet to have that communicated to him by the club, despite Chelsea targeting a new goalkeeper. The Blues also want to sign a striker and potentially a midfielder depending on player sales this summer. The futures of Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech are also in doubt. Both players have two years left on their contracts.
