Manchester United are closing in on their first deal of the summer after agreeing a fee with Chelsea for Mason Mount.
The Manchester Evening News understands United will pay an initial £55million for Mount, with £5million of performance-related add-ons potentially due in the future. It is the club's fourth bid for the midfielder, having seen their most recent offer of £55million knocked back by Chelsea.
The 24-year-old will undergo a medical once he is back from holiday, with personal terms to finalise having initially agreed on them back in May. His arrival at Old Trafford will see one of Erik ten Hag's priority positions filled and a top target secured, paving the way for focus to turn elsewhere.
Mount has often been described as a 'manager's player', with his tactical adaptability and work-rate central to his success. The England international has always managed to find a place in Chelsea's plans, despite the vast and rapid turnover of head coaches.
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He has clearly impressed Ten Hag enough for him to sanction a £60million deal, and the Dutchman will take comfort in the praise handed to Mount by some of his former managers. Here's what they have had to say in the past.
Frank Lampard
Lampard stepped in as interim manager at Chelsea earlier this year and quickly hit back at critics of Mount: “I’m not going to tell anyone what opinion they should have on football but if anyone thinks Mason Mount is not already a top-level player then I’m not sure what they’re seeing, in my opinion. Form is one thing that people can debate. There’s players now that get debated about more than we were in my career. It’s partly social media.
“But from working with Mason, you can ask myself, you can ask Thomas Tuchel, you can ask Gareth Southgate, you can ask Graham Potter, it’s clear he’s a top player. He’s had his small injury problem. He felt OK in the game the other day. I think there’s a little process over the next game or two of getting Mason to where we want him to be. Fingers crossed the injury’s fine.
“But he’s a top player and a top lad. And he does have a big affiliation with the club. One thing I know about Mason, the first thing a top player should have is a real hunger to succeed and play and do well for Chelsea, and he’s had that since the first day I took him to Derby. That’s simple for me. He’s still a young player. He can go even further but he’s already a top player.”
Thomas Tuchel
Speaking in May 2021, Tuchel reserved huge praise for Mount during his time at Chelsea: "He has the full package. Mentally, in terms of talent and physically and the most important part is his character, he has his feet on the ground and he's a nice guy.
"He comes to Cobham [Chelsea's training ground] every day to learn something new and have new experiences. It's a pleasure to have him, be at his side and guide him and support him. It's impressive, he's not affected by all the praise. This is maybe the most important part.
"He seems to be a guy who likes the sport and feels an obligation to make the most out of it and he wants it absolutely badly, so it's a top mix."
Gareth Southgate
The England boss has often tried to avoid singling out individual players, but did find time to highlight Mount's qualities after a 2-0 win over Albania in 2021: "He is a great player, but I was saying this in the autumn. I suppose now that Thomas Tuchel picks him, everybody will agree. When it was Frank, it doesn't count for some reason.
"He's an exceptional player. He finds space intelligently, he manipulates the ball very well, creates chances, he can score goals. I thought his performance was excellent tonight."
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