Mauricio Pochettino plans to make Mason Mount a key player for Chelsea, despite uncertainty surrounding his long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
Mount, 24, has rejected several contract offers from the Blues and his current deal expires next June. Chelsea have therefore been forced to consider offloading the English midfielder in the upcoming summer transfer window, with Liverpool, Manchester United and London rivals Arsenal all tipped to make a move.
Pochettino, though, wants no such departure to happen. The former Tottenham manager is due to be confirmed as the Blues' new boss this week and it has emerged that he's hopeful Mount will commit his long-term future to his boyhood club.
According to the Daily Mail, Pochettino is an admirer of Mount's playmaking ability and work ethic. The Argentine coach is confident that the 24-year-old would fit into his system, just like a number of other current Chelsea players.
Mount's midfield team-mate, N'Golo Kante, is out of contract this summer, but the Blues are confident of securing an extension and Pochettino approves. Mirror Football also understands that the ex-Spurs manager, who's been jobless since he was sacked by Paris Saint-Germain last May, also views a host of young defenders as integral to his rebuild.
Centre-backs Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill, the latter currently on loan at Brighton, are also safe from being axed alongside with full-back duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell.
Mount's future is by far the most uncertain of the players who Pochettino wants to keep, with interim boss Frank Lampard in full agreement that he should be considered a valued asset.
"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," Lampard recently affirmed, having worked with him twice before returning to Chelsea last month.
"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."
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Mount won't play again this season after having an operation on his abdomen. It'll go down as a campaign to forget for the England international, with just six goals and assists to his name.
Asked whether Mount will've already played his final game for the Blues, Lampard added: "I don't know the answer to that, it's a conversation between Mason and the club, so I don't know.
"It's not final at this point and we'll have to see because those conversations are ongoing."
