Contract extension talks for current Chelsea players Mason Mount and Edouard Mendy will continue after the January transfer window is over, according to reports. The Blues look set to prioritise more potential arrivals in the coming weeks of the January transfer window after confirming the signing of Mykhailo Mudryk for £88million on a seven-and-a-half-year contract, with an option to extend by a further 12 months.
The 22-year-old became Chelsea's fifth January arrival following Joao Felix, Andrey Santos, Benoit Badiashile and David Datro Fofana through the door under Graham Potter. as 2023 looks set to be a huge year for the club following the takeover completed by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May 2022.
After spending close to £300million in the summer, the priority has clearly been on bringing new players to the club with current members of the squad somewhat neglected when it comes to discussing new contracts.
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The contracts of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho were huge talking points for this year, with the midfield duo both seeing their current deals expire in the summer. Progress has been made for Kante, but it looks likely that Jorginho is in his final season at Stamford Bridge amid interest from Napoli and Newcastle.
Agreeing extensions with players who only have a few years left on their contracts is also important to protect the long-term future of those stars and thus the club. The duo that best fit into the category at the moment is Mendy and Mount who will see their ongoing deals expire in 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Talks had been stalling for both players with Mendy perhaps not in the best negotiation place after suffering a fresh injury and Kepa Arrizabalaga now the first choice goalkeeper under Graham Potter. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail report that Mount rejected a new £200,000-a-week contract extension just before the World Cup.
Liverpool and Juventus had both been keeping taps on his developing contract situation where negotiations looked likely to continue following the conclusion of the World Cup. However, that timeline has now been pushed back even further as the Blues focus on their January transfer business.
According to the Evening Standard, talks over new contracts for Mount and Mendy have been put on hold until after the January window, with only Kante's contract renewal seeing any progress. This is because incomings remain as the focus for those at Chelsea
CBS reporter Ben Jacobs, via Si & Dan Talk Chelsea supported those claims revealing the Blues are not done making signing in January after Mudryk listing three players as the likely remaining targets.
"Mudryk’s arrival isn’t the end of Chelsea’s business. They are still exploring Moises Caicedo, Marcus Thuram and Noni Madueke," he said.
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