Chelsea are reportedly yet to make significant progress in their efforts to agree a new contract with Mason Mount.
The academy graduate is currently regarded as one of the key players in Graham Potter's squad, partly owing to his versatility in midfield and the final third.
Mount has contributed a total of 32 goals and 37 assists from 179 appearances for the Blues, yet his numbers have not been his best during 2022-23.
The England international has chipped in with just two goals, both of which came in the same game against Aston Villa, and six assists from 19 outings.
Mount's lack of form comes at a time when the new Chelsea owners have allegedly been keen to hand the 23-year-old a new long-term contract.
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Since the arrival of Todd Boehly and the remainder of the consortium which took over from Roman Abramovich, there have been suggestions that Mount could be offered a deal until at least 2028.
Teammate Reece James has also penned terms of that length, as has Armando Broja, while Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka all signed deals until at least that year when they arrived in the summer.
However, according to The Sun, neither club or player have made as much progress as they would have liked at this stage.
Due to the upcoming World Cup, there is little prospect of Mount being prepared to hold any kind of discussions in the short term.
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That will almost certainly see Mount head into the turn of the year with 18 months remaining on his contract, a scenario which will interest clubs from the Premier League and abroad.
Although there is no prospect of Mount departing Stamford Bridge in January, the powers-that-be at Chelsea are unlikely to risk Mount leaving on a free transfer in 2024.
Despite Mount's affection for Chelsea, the club currently sit well off the pace in the Premier League table and are five points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea travel to face Newcastle United, who are in third spot and six points clear having play a game more, on Saturday evening in what may prove to be a season-defining game ahead of the break for the World Cup.
Darren Plant
