Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Mason Mount exclusive: In-demand Chelsea star told only condition that will see him stay at Stamford Bridge

Mason Mount of Chelsea during Premier League game v West Ham at London Stadium

Mason Mount has been told exactly how he can secure his long-term future at Chelsea but it will take a certain amount of sacrifice on his part as TEAMtalk understands.

The Chelsea and England attacking midfielder’s future is currently up in the air, given that talks over a new deal are not progressing and the fact that both Liverpool and Manchester United are weighing up a move for Mount.

After an outstanding 2021/22 campaign, Mount’s form has dipped this season and he is finding starts under Graham Potter currently tough to come by.

The 24-year-old’s progression in west London might also be hindered by the number of newer players being signed by the club. Indeed, Todd Boehly has splashed out more than £600m on fresh additions since taking over from Roman Abramovich.

However, Boehly has put a strict wage structure in place, and as trusted reporter Ben Jacobs revealed, Mount will need to fall in line with that or face the prospect of leaving his boyhood club.

Jacobs said: “Mason Mount will be in demand if he leaves Chelsea. And that’s not only because he’s a fantastic player with a high ceiling, the right profile and the right age, but also due to the contractual situation.

“Clubs feel that this summer, they’ll be able to land him at extremely strong value, presuming that he doesn’t renew with Chelsea.

“So the first thing to say is that Chelsea renewal is not off the cards.

“Mount has been at Stamford Bridge since he was six years old, Chelsea is all he’s ever known. And when talk of a renewal first started right at the beginning of the process there was a high priority in getting it done and quickly. And that was because the new ownership group had come in and Mount was off the back of the season in which he’d scored 11 Premier League goals and had really hit his peak.

“So both Mason Mount and Reece James were priorities to renew when the new owners of Chelsea replaced Roman Abramovich and James has since been renewed, but Mount has proven a lot harder.

“And as things have dragged on, unfortunately, Mount’s form has dipped as well. And on top of that, the two sides have been very far apart in valuations.”

Mount needs to compromise over contract demands

With the club and Mount still at an impasse over a deal and suitors lining up, Jacobs revealed what it will take to get that contract sealed.

He added: “Chelsea’s perspective is that they want any new renewal to buy into their wage structure. And that will obviously give Mount an increase but their philosophy is to make packages for players incentive-driven and contracts long term.

“When you do that, you give the player the opportunity to earn very handsomely but the packages will also have flip sides and Manchester United do it anyway. But not every club does and Chelsea didn’t under Abramovich.

“But the new owners want a reduction in wage if, in any given season during the contract, the club fails to qualify for Champions League football because that protects the football club financially.

“And you may remember Cristiano Ronaldo heading into the season off a very strong scoring return. But in his final full season for Manchester United he also had to take that wage cut. And it didn’t go down well, because players think about everything through the prism of the team.

“But like any of us in any profession, if they have a strong individual season, the blanket reduction because the team didn’t hit a goal doesn’t always go down well, particularly with star names.

“And that was the case with Ronaldo and now Chelsea are implementing something relatively similar, whereby they want incentives, but also reductions as well and these long-term contracts.

“And then on top of that Mount obviously wants to be handsomely rewarded. And if he’s asking for money based upon last season, he’s fully entitled to say he would expect to be one of the top earners at Chelsea Football Club.

“But due to the fact now that new names have come in the squad is bigger and Mount’s game has dipped, you could make an argument that Chelsea might want to pay a slightly lower wage.

“So talks have stalled, and Mount has rejected more than one offer, but they will still be picked up towards the end or at the end of the season again, which means that Chelsea have not ended negotiations with Mason mount. They’ve just parked talks for now.”

Potter’s men are back in action on April 1 when they host Aston Villa in the Premier League.

READ MORE: Chelsea plot next long-term transfer for homegrown winger wanted by Man City, Newcastle