Mason Mount has quickly emerged as a probable acquisition for Manchester United this summer and it sounds like the interest hasn’t developed overnight.
There were whispers for some time that should Mount leave Chelsea at the end of the season, Arsenal or Liverpool were his possible destinations if he wished to remain in the Premier League.
Most fans would not have picked Mount as a first choice transfer target to bolster Erik ten Hag’s midfield next season, but it sounds like the manager sees an opportunity to get a talented player into the squad.
The Dutchman has certainly earned enough credit in his first season to warrant a degree of trust in the transfer market. We’ve seen players like Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro come in and take the team to a new level.
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United are preparing a £55m bid to sign Mount this summer.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein understands that Mount’s preference – should he leave Stamford Bridge – is to join United.
Now it turns out Ten Hag has long-term admiration of Mount, which could swing in United’s favour as he decides on his future.
Like many players that come through the youth system at Chelsea, Mount spent time on loan at Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands, which was in 2017, when Ten Hag first got to see the midfield ace in action. The Sun claim the former Ajax manager has been tracking him since then.
The Evening Standard claims Mount’s performances during his loan spell led to Ten Hag becoming ‘aware’ of his talent.
Over the course of 39 games for the Dutch side, a young Mount managed 14 goals and provided a further 10 assists.
With 24 goalscoring contributions, you can see how Mount caught Ten Hag’s eye.
Mount came off the bench to score a goal to secure a 1-1 draw against Ten Hag’s Utrecht that season.
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