Manchester United have ended their pursuit of Chelsea star Mason Mount after their third bid for the England international was rejected by the Blues.
The Red Devils have made no secret of the fact that Mount was their priority target over the course of the summer, hence the three bids so soon into the transfer window. However, their most recent offer of £50million and £5m worth of add-ons was deemed insufficient by the Stamford Bridge hierarchy and as a result the switch looks to have fallen through.
Instead, United are rumoured to have diverted their attention to Brighton's Moises Caicedo, a man Chelsea also have in their sights, as per the Times. Whether Erik ten Hag manages to fare better in his pursuit of the Ecuadorian than he did in his efforts to sign Mount remains to be seen.
While some United fans will be distraught over the way the Mount saga has played out and amounted to nothing, others may admire the club's principled stance. Ten Hag clearly has his valuation of the 24-year-old and will not go beyond that figure.
However, there is no denying Mount's talent. Just ask former United boss Jose Mourinho, who provided an incredibly insightful tactical breakdown of the player back in 2021.
"I believe he is an attack-minded player, a creative player, but he has the tactical discipline," he told The Times in 2021.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Have United made a mistake by walking away from the Mount deal? Comment below
"Mount is a team player. We see him now with [Thomas] Tuchel coming from the sides, when with Frank [Lampard] he was more of a No.10.
"When they play with a back five, he can be the third attacking player or the third midfield player. I think he is very, very intelligent on the pitch.
"From what I see, he has a very good understanding of the game. He has goals, which is an important thing for a midfield player. I like him very much."
Considering midfield has been viewed as one of United's problem areas for quite some time, Mourinho's assessment of Mount would have only sparked more excitement over the potential transfer.
Instead, it looks more than likely that the Blues academy graduate will stay put at Stamford Bridge for at least another year.
However, he only has 12 months left to run on his current Chelsea deal. There remains a strong possibility that Mount still ends up a United player this time next year, without the Red Devils having to pay a penny in transfer fees.
