Ex- Chelsea midfielder Oscar has claimed Mason Mount is unhappy at Stamford Bridge but urged the England international to stay in west London.
Negotiations between Mount and Chelsea have been ongoing for some time, but the pair are still yet to reach an agreement and with the 24-year-old's contract expiring in June 2024, this summer marks the Blues' last realistic chance to generate some cash for their academy graduate if he does depart.
A number of Chelsea's Premier League rivals have started to circle, with the general consensus being that Mount's time at the Bridge is nearing its end. All three of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have been linked with a move for the midfielder.
However, Mount has been encouraged to stay put by a man that knows all about playing in the middle of the park for Chelsea in Oscar.
The former Brazil international told talkSPORT : "When you have a difficult season, a lot of people think that the players don’t deserve to stay in the team anymore.
"But I think Chelsea have a lot of good young players. Sometimes it’s better to keep these players and see if the coach wants these players for the team. Maybe he [Mount] can come back to play at the level that he can play at.
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"Of course, he wants to play and he wants to play more. I think if he’s not happy at Chelsea, sometimes it’s better to find another team. If he’s still happy and if he wants to try and be a great player at Chelsea, he needs to stay."
It would be a disappointing blow for Chelsea to lose one of the most exciting talents to emerge out of their academy in the last two decades.
With that being said, Mount has struggled to reach the heights of his usual standards and has netted just three times this term, with a further six assists to match.
It is likely that incoming boss Mauricio Pochettino will try to do all he can to persuade the Three Lions ace to remain at Chelsea, but two of his three potential destinations can offer him something the Blues can't in Champions League football next season.
Both Arsenal and United are back among Europe's elite and Liverpool have the Europa League to look forward to, while Chelsea are left out in the cold after a guaranteed bottom-half finish, given the highest the Blues can aim for with two games left to play is 11th.
There is growing expectation that Mount is going to be tempted by the offers sent his way this summer as Chelsea stare down the barrel of losing him for good.
