Manchester United would be Mason Mount 's preferred destination if he is sold by Chelsea this summer.
Mount, 24, is currently locked in a contract stand-off with the Blues and will have just one year left on his current deal at the end of the campaign. The likes of Arsenal and Liverpool have both been credited with an interest in the England midfielder in recent weeks and are believed to be monitoring Mount's situation ahead of the upcoming transfer window.
While speculation linking Mount with a move to the Emirates or Anfield has been rife for weeks, interest from United has intensified in recent days. However, it appears as though linking up with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford is the option which holds the most appeal to Mount as things stands.
That's according to The Athletic, who claim that Mount is 'leaning towards' a move to United rather than Arsenal or Liverpool. All three sides are expected to be in the market for midfield reinforcements ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, but United are expected to open talks with Chelsea shortly over a deal for Mount.
The report goes on to outline that nothing has been agreed yet and that thrashing out a deal could be anything but straightforward. The ongoing takeover saga at Old Trafford means there is a lack of clarity over the club's summer spending plans, while Ten Hag's top priority in the upcoming transfer window is the acquisition of an elite No.9.
Incoming Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino is a fan of Mount and would like the Blues academy graduate to be apart of his new squad next season. However, the Argentine may be forced to plan for life without Mount unless a compromise can be reached in contract talks.
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Chelsea caretaker manager Frank Lampard was coy when he was asked if Mount had played his final game for the club last month after it emerged that he could miss the remainder of the season with a pelvic injury.
Lampard said: "I don’t know the answer to that, it’s a conversation between Mason and the club, so I don’t know. It’s not final at this point and we’ll have to see because those conversations are ongoing.
"It’s a shame for me personally because I think everyone knows how I feel about working with Mason and I like to think he feels the same about me, and we could have done with him in the games we’ve played already this season.
"But the bigger picture is something that’s going to become clearer in the next weeks and months, and that will be the club and Mason together having conversations."
