Man Utd 'launches bid for Mason Mount' as Erik ten Hag sends message to bidders

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has reportedly approved of an approach by the Red Devils to sign Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount ahead of next season. The England midfielder's long-term future at Stamford Bridge looks highly uncertain as things stand, with contract talks appearing to be at an impasse after months of internal talks.

Several clubs have been credited with an interest in dropping Mount from Chelsea in recent weeks, with Arsenal and Liverpool among their potential suitors heading into the next summer transfer window. However, it looks like United will be looking to steal the show from their Premier League rivals by poaching Mount for themselves by the start of the new campaign.

A bid of around £55m is being prepared by senior United figures after Ten Hag urged the club to strike a deal quickly despite the ongoing takeover process at Old Trafford, according to Reuters. Ten Hag's urgency to land the player will mean either Sheikh Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe will likely have to pull out their checkbooks to sanction the deal for Mount as one of their first jobs with the takeover saga which should be clarified more late this week. Their proposed offer as things stand, however, remains well below Chelsea's valuation, with the Blues wanting to come closer to £85million in order to let Mount leave this summer.

There would be a chance United could increase their offer given Ten Hag's determination to add Mount to their squad over the next few weeks, with the Chelsea man reportedly named as a priority target by the Red Devils. However, it remains to be seen whether they will be willing to respect the Blues' valuation of the player or whether they will instead try to haggle in an attempt to reach a compromise.

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Chelsea would prefer the idea of ​​keeping Mount on a new and improved contract, although they are resigned to losing him after being frustrated in their efforts to negotiate a deal in recent months. His current deal is set to expire in the summer of 2024 as things stand, which could see Chelsea face a dilemma over whether to cash in this year or risk his exit on a free transfer. at the end of next season.

Mount is unlikely to be out of options if he ends up leaving Chelsea at some point in the not-too-distant future, with former England midfielder Danny Murphy recently insisting that he should play regularly if he joins United, Arsenal or Liverpool before the start of the new campaign.

"With Mason Mount there are takers for sure, you're talking about a terrific player," Murphy told talkSPORT. "I'm a big fan of Mason Mount. The review this season has been good because he had a bad time and so did the team, but he was at a big club for four seasons and three of them , he was excellent.

"The fact is he's going to have a choice because almost all the big clubs are for him. They're for him because they can see how talented he is, he's just had a little shot Football-wise I think he gets into the Liverpool team, the Man United team and in no time he could get a really good playing time in the Manchester team. Arsenal."

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