Chelsea have reportedly placed a £70m price tag on Mason Mount ahead of the summer transfer window.
The playmaker can claim to have enjoyed a hugely-successful stint at Stamford Bridge, winning the Champions League and contributing 33 goals and 37 assists from 192 appearances since 2019.
However, his contract situation is leading to frequent speculation that he will be allowed to depart the West Londoners at the end of the season.
Reports recently suggested that negotiations have been postponed until the end of the season due to a lack of common ground, Mount wanting parity with other England internationals in the squad but not on a contract of seven years.
Instead, Chelsea's owners want to hand Mount a significant pay rise but considerably lower than his demands, while also insisting on a contract which could run until at least 2030.
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As a result, it appears increasingly likely that Mount will be sold later in 2023, with Chelsea not wanting to risk losing a key player on a free transfer.
Furthermore, the sale of an academy graduate would go down as pure profit with regards to FFP, something which Chelsea must drastically improve in order to meet Premier League criteria.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea's powers-that-be intend to demand in the region of £70m.
Mount is known to have a wide array of admirers in England's top flight with Manchester United and Liverpool expected to head the race for his signature if he does not agree fresh terms with his current club.
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Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel's arrival at Bayern Munich has inevitably led to talk of the Bundesliga champions making an approach for a player who their new boss knows well and likes from his time at Chelsea.
Whether Chelsea have a realistic chance of generating £70m remains to be seen, with interested clubs aware that they could theoretically bid lower and force a sale or wait until 2024.
Nevertheless, opportunities to boost their respective squads, particularly in the Premier League, with an England international is rare, and there may be a desire to capitalise on the opportunity.
The report adds that Liverpool have already held discussions over Mount to determine whether they are capable of putting together a suitable proposal for a player who is said to have turned down £180,000 per week at Chelsea.
A recent report indicated that Mount would still prefer to remain at Chelsea if terms could be agreed over the coming months.
Darren Plant
