Liverpool, Man Utd learn brutal Boehly verdict on Mason Mount sale as Chelsea chief squirms over double repeat
Todd Boehly has reportedly reached a huge verdict on the Chelsea future of Mason Mount in a decision that will be of interest to the England star’s chief suitors, Liverpool and Manchester United.
The American has invested around half a billion pounds during his two transfer windows in charge. Indeed, 17 new players have been welcomed in at Stamford Bridge, giving manager Graham Potter a major headache incorporating all of his stars.
And with the Blues struggling to put any sort of run together, more changes are expected this summer.
As a result, there is once again mounting speculation that Potter’s time in charge will be brought to an end. And Boehly has reportedly earmarked a multi-winning Champions League coach as a prospective succcessor.
However, the biggest changes are again likely to come to the playing personnel.
To that end, Chelsea have already struck a huge deal with RB Leipzig to bring in Christopher Nkunku. And with Joao Felix seemingly destined to make his loan move permanent, the two new additions make for troubled reading for Mount.
As it stands, his deal at Stamford Bridge is due to expire in June 2024. Talks over an extension have been ongoing for some time, though an agreement remains some distance apart.
Indeed, Mount reportedly currently earns around £80,000 a week and is seemingly holding out for a deal in the region of £250,000 a week. That would earn him parity with the contract recently signed by another Blues graduate in Reece James.
However, Chelsea are seemingly unwilling to meet those demands. And earlier this week David Ornstein revealed that Chelsea have now shelved those talks until the summer.
READ MORE: Ornstein drops Mount to Liverpool bombshell, with Chelsea debacle to spark new Boehly policy
Boehly wants Chelsea to cash in on Mason Mount
As a result, speculation is beginning to mount (pun intended!) that a number of high-profile suitors are keeping a close watch on the situation. To that end, Manchester City, Manchester United and Juventus are among those hovering around a potential swoop.
However, the strongest links in recent weeks have come from Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp’s desire to remodel his Reds midfield is well documented and Mount could come in as a ready-made replacement for the departing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Now, according to The Athletic, Boehly has reached a brutal decision on Mount’s future. And if the midfielder does not agree to Chelsea’s offer, then Mount will be sold this summer.
They wrote: ‘Should nothing be agreed in the summer, Chelsea will look to sell the England international because he will have just 12 months left on his current deal and the owners will not countenance losing him for free the following year.’
Citing how Chelsea also lost both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen as free agents, Boehly is adamant that the Blues will not be stung in the same way a third time.
‘The Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium struggled to fathom how the previous regime had permitted Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, both international defenders, to wind down their contracts and depart as free agents. They are determined that their club will never be left so vulnerable.
‘Given he is an academy product, Mount’s sale will count as pure profit on the club’s books. That will help Chelsea comply with financial fair play in the wake of a transfer spend in excess of £500million ($605m) over the past two windows.’
Pundits back Mount to move on
Two pundits also reckon the clock may well be ticking on Mount’s time at Stamford Bridge.
Asked by Football Insider if Chelsea would sell Mount, Alan Hutton said: “Possibly if the contract is not resolved.
“He is in to the back end of his contract so the fee will be a lot lower. I am surprised that Chelsea are not offering him what he wants to get the value up, even if they wanted to get rid of him.
“Where he stands at the moment, he probably sees all these players coming in on very good contracts, even the likes of Reece James, homegrown players who have signed unbelievable contracts. He feels he is part of that.
“I think his form has dipped so for him. It’s about concentrating, getting his head down and getting back to the player we all know he is.”
David James reckons the sheer influx of new players at Chelsea will make Mount and others think twice.
“I’m a big fan of Mason Mount. If you’re Mason Mount or Ruben Loftus-Cheek, you’d be questioning your longevity at the club. Simply, it’s just down to the number of signings that the club has made,” James told GG Recon.
“It’s nothing to do with Graham Potter. He’s a fantastic manager and a fantastic person. But I just believe that there’s a lot of players that have come in for a lot of money.
“And then there will be players at the club who were there before the transfer window, who would have believed they’d be at Chelsea for the rest of their career. Like Mason Mount. (They) will now be starting to question whether that’s the case.”
READ MORE: Graham Potter all smiles with imminent Chelsea deal delivering dagger to perfect Liverpool swoop
