Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount is reportedly still planning on leaving the club this summer despite the imminent arrival of Mauricio Pochettino.
The 24-year-old's long-term future has been a major talking point in West London over the past few months, as his contract only runs until the end of next season.
Chelsea have been working to tie Mount down to fresh terms, but negotiations apparently stalled over pay, as the England international was not satisfied with the wages on the table.
There has been no indication that talks will yield a positive solution, and Mount has seemingly been inching closer towards an exit from his boyhood club in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea's efforts to agree a new deal with Mount have not been helped by their troubled fortunes on the field, sitting 12th in the Premier League table following the sacking of Graham Potter and underwhelming return of Frank Lampard.
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Ex-Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur head coach Pochettino is believed to be on the verge of accepting the hotseat in West London, and The Sun reports that the Argentine has earmarked Mount's contract renewal as one of his first priorities.
However, Pochettino's pleas will apparently fall on deaf ears, and Mount is poised to end his 18-year stay at Chelsea, with relations between the club and his camp having hit rock bottom.
"It feels like it is too late now for Mason. Pochettino is good but he can't work miracles," a Chelsea source apparently told the publication.
"If he had been brought in when Chelsea sacked Thomas Tuchel in September then maybe it would be a different story. But in ten months there hasn't been any resolution and other clubs want him. Good luck to Poch and Mason but we're not hopeful."
Chelsea apparently offered Mount a new one-year deal in February, but the player's entourage believed that the offer was simply made to protect his transfer value, and they quickly rejected it.
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Liverpool are thought to be the best-placed team to prise Mount away from Stamford Bridge this summer, as the Reds search for cheaper midfield alternatives to £130m-rated Borussia Dortmund man Jude Bellingham.
Given Mount's contract situation, Chelsea will entertain bids for the 24-year-old this summer if negotiations fail to bear fruit, and Liverpool could supposedly strike a deal for a fee of approximately £60m.
Mount has come up with 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 games for the Blues since coming through their academy ranks, but he has managed just three goals and six assists in 35 outings this term.
The midfielder has been restricted to 20 Premier League starts due to a combination of competition for places and injuries, having sat out the Blues' last four top-flight games with a pelvic problem.
Mount is not expected to be available for Sunday's clash with Manchester City or next Thursday's battle with Manchester United, but there is hope that he might recover in time to face Newcastle United on the final day of the season on May 28.
Ben Knapton
