Manchester United and Chelsea will conduct their next Mason Mount transfer talks in a face-to-face meeting after a third bid from Old Trafford was rejected. Erik ten Hag desperately wants the Blues midfielder to be his first summer acquisition but he is being met by a firm valuation stance set by Chelsea.
The 24-year-old's current contract expires in 2024 and signing an extension now appears entirely out of the question. football.london understands that Chelsea were once close to reaching an agreement with Mount over a new deal, but, following his return from the World Cup in December, an offer was no longer on the table.
Negotiations were re-opened and a one-year contract offer was put forward, but Mount did not accept those terms and no new proposal has been lodged since. With numerous clubs aware of his fragile situation, Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United were the ones to all show a serious interest, but the latter is the only club to have submitted a formal bid.
The total of that package hits £65m which remains Chelsea's valuation, although Man United do not intend to meet that price. However, there is hope an agreement can be reached as transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported that a final decision will be made soon with in-person discussions set to take place in the next 24-48 hours.
If Man United agree to a compromise, receiving anywhere between £55m-£65m will be a great deal for the Blues especially as Mount has just one year left on his deal. However, the Red Devils pulling out of the race would leave the England international, who has pushed for a move, in a difficult position, but the Romano has also stated he will get his head down and work hard if a move doesn't get sanctioned, but then leave as a free agent next summer.
READ NEXT: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Double medical, Moises Caicedo talks, £15m new Neymar deal
According to The Telegraph, Mauricio Pochettino would like to meet Mount if his future remains unsolved by next Tuesday - when a large majority of the squad returns for pre-season. In line with this possibility, former Chelsea star Florent Malouda has urged the Cobham graduate to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking to Genting Casino, he said: "Mason Mount should stay because he is an inspiration for the academy players. In a similar way to Reece James, Mount gives the academy players believe that they can make it all the way through to the first team at the club they love.
"If you’re a player that comes through, you need to have a clear development plan. Take Loftus-Cheek for example, at his age he needs to be a regular starter playing football every week. He is not a youngster anymore.
"If you compare his development to Declan Rice, he is not on the same level and that is the level where he should be. The only way that he can get to that level is by starting a lot more games."
