The future of Mason Mount at Chelsea appears no clearer after manager Graham Potter refused to be drawn on the matter.
And that could pave the way for a summer move to Anfield, after multiple reports suggested that the midfielder could be on his way out of Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Mount has been with the West London club since he was six years old, but the Metro reports that the 24-year-old, who currently earns £80,000 a week, wants a much-improved contract that puts him on a level playing field with some of the club's top new signings.
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Having made so many recent signings, Chelsea appear reluctant to offer him what he wants and when asked in his Friday press conference about links to Liverpool, Potter attempted to brush the question away.
The under-fire Chelsea manager said: "Mason has been great to work with. He’s been top. He’s suffering like the rest of us because we want to do better.
"In terms of the contract, that’s between him and the club. I am the head coach so my focus is on helping the players improve. At the moment, we're not doing that as well as we'd like. So that is the focus for me."
Mount's failure to sign a new deal is likely to rumble on until the end of the season, increasing the chances of a move to Anfield coming to fruition.
When Potter was asked about Mount's contract situation last month, he said: "I think it’s always complicated. There is always negotiations. It’s best I leave it for Mason and the club. That’s the best way for that to be dealt with, as far as I’m concerned. He’s been fantastic to work with and he is an important player for us. I hope it gets resolved quickly."
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