Manchester United agree £55m deal to sign Chelsea’s Mason Mount, reports say
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Mason Mount is understood to have agreed a five-year contract with United, with an option for a further year.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign England midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea for an initial £55 million (S$94 million), according to reports on Thursday.
After back-and-forth negotiations between the two clubs, the Red Devils will pay an additional £5 million dependent on the 24-year-old’s appearances and success at Old Trafford, the reports added.
Mount, whose Chelsea contract is due to expire in 2024, is understood to have agreed on a five-year, £250,000-a-week contract, with an option for a further year.
Completing a deal for the midfielder, who can play as a No. 8 or a No. 10, would bolster the options for United boss Erik ten Hag in the middle of the park.
Mount came through the ranks at Chelsea, making his debut in 2019, and thereafter scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances for the Blues.
He has 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 appearances in all competitions for the Stamford Bridge club, while he also had loan spells at Vitesse Arnhem in the Dutch Eredivisie and Derby County.
The Englishman – a Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup winner with Chelsea – has 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat on penalties by Italy.
Hampered by a pelvic problem last season, the attacking midfielder scored just three goals in 24 Premier League appearances as his form dipped largely because of his injury.
Chelsea, under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, are seeking to reduce their bloated squad after a huge spending spree in the past year under owner Todd Boehly.
The west London club have sold goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, defender Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder N’Golo Kante to the Saudi Pro League and midfielder Mateo Kovacic has left to join Premier League champions Manchester City.
United finished third in the Premier League last season and won the League Cup in ten Hag’s first season in charge but they struggled for goals.
The Red Devils have been linked with a number of top strikers including Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
On the other end of the pitch, ten Hag could be reunited with his former Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper Andre Onana, who now plays for Inter Milan in the Italian Serie A.
United are reportedly in talks with the Cameroonian, amid continued uncertainty surrounding current No. 1 David de Gea’s future.
Onana is valued at £40 million to £50 million and it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will pursue this deal as de Gea became a free agent on Friday when his contract ended.
United have reportedly wanted the Spaniard, 32, to drastically reduce his £375,000-a-week wages in order to extend his stay, and a source has said that “both sides are reflecting” before making their next move, according to ESPN. AFP, REUTERS
