Arsenal have a genuine interest in Mason Mount according to the latest reports. The England international has somewhat fallen out of favour at the club and despite Mauricio Pochettino’s imminent arrival, it seems as though this has not changed the future potential for an exit.
football.london understand that Chelsea would look for something in the region of £70million for the attacking midfielder. This is a huge amount for a player whose contract is nearing its end.
Arsenal have needs in the central midfield area and defence, in addition to wanting a potential forward player too. Were the Gunners to sign Mount for this price, it would surely impact further business elsewhere.
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So immediately, if the price is said to be in this region, it makes sense for the Gunners to find an alternative. That said, if Chelsea becomes more realistic and the figure is between £40million and £50million then this is a much fairer valuation.
Mount is a very good player who could be exactly what Arsenal need as the evolution of the midfield trio continues. Granit Xhaka has occupied the left eight role for some time but football.london understands that he is set to move to Bayer Leverkusen for around £13million.
As the Gunners look to close the gap to City, it has been evident with the use of Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe and Leandro Trossard to replace Xhaka that Mikel Arteta sees the potential for a greater attacking presence here.
Mount would suit this and his versatility to cover Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli would be a further benefit. He’s homegrown with plenty of Premier League experience in addition to having become a Champions League winner with Chelsea.
Arsenal have seen great success from switching their major investments from players outside the Premier League to those with the experience of playing already in England. The acquisitions of Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard and Jorginho all contributed to the title race this season and this strategy should continue.
The likes of Vieira, Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga have shown the risk in signing players from abroad and the challenge when adapting to the English game. Arsenal need quality and they need it to come with as little risk as possible which the signing of Mount over perhaps a Mohammed Kudus or Gabri Veiga would.
However it still all comes back to the price tag. It needs to work for Arsenal and at the current figures being discussed it simply cannot, or rather should not, happen.
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