Chelsea reject opening bid from top four rivals for star midfielder

Chelsea have rejected Manchester United’s opening bid for Mason Mount

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have rejected Manchester United’s initial £40 million bid for EEnglish international midfielder Mason Mount.

The Red Devils want Mount, but appear unwilling to meet Chelsea’s asking price. While we risk them walking away from an agreement, it makes little sense for us to sell one of our best midfielders for anything les than what he is worth.

Mount has only one year remaining on his contract, as the midfielder has shown no intention to renew it. Given that he can leave for free in the 2024 summer transfer window, it is now or never in our efforts to recoup a decent transfer value.

However, United don’t want to overpay Chelsea to sign the midfielder, as he is in the last year of his contract. The Blues are demanding £70 million for the Cobham graduate.

With Liverpool bowing out of the race, the chances of us encouraging a bidding war appears unlikely. Man United have overspent on lesser players in the past and we hope they eventually cave this time around as well.

Having already lost Andreas Christensen, Marcos Alonso, and Antonio Rudiger for free in recent times, Mount joining the list makes little financial sense. This is especially so given that we are on the FFP watchlist.

£40 million is a fairly small sum for a midfielder like Mount. If Chelsea fails to sell him during this window, they run the additional risk of losing their most precious asset for nothing the next year.

Since United can wait until after the current season to sign him, it is now up to Chelsea to reduce the asking price. However, even if it is unlikely that the Blues manage to keep him and have a successful season, he might be persuaded to stay and extend his contract. But of course, that is us being cautiously optimistic.

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• Liverpool have withdrawn from the race to sign Chelsea star Mason Mount

But it’s a very risky decision because we will be in the rebuilding phase and will need at least one or two seasons to return to a competitive level. Chelsea have to choose whether to let him lose for free over the next 12 months or sell him on the cheap.