Man Utd agree deal to sign Mount from Chelsea – BBC Sport

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign England midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea on a five-year contract for £55m, with £5m in add-ons.

Mount, 24, will be Erik ten Hag’s first signing of the summer as he looks to strengthen his squad following United’s qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Chelsea spent £600m last season and need to sell before June 30 to ease Financial Fair Play concerns.

Mount joined Chelsea at the age of six.

Chelsea rejected United’s first three bids but continued talks between the two clubs this week to resolve the impasse.

Chelsea are understood to have preferred not to lose Mount but have been unsuccessful in negotiating a new contract with his deal due to expire next year.

Mount, who has scored 33 goals in 195 appearances for Chelsea since making his senior debut in 2019, missed the domestic season through injury as the Blues finished 12th – their lowest finish in more than 25 years.

United finished third in the Premier League and while Ten Hag have prioritized a new striker this summer, Mount’s ability to operate in advanced positions is understood to have made him an attractive option for the club.

Mount won the Champions League in 2021 with Chelsea and started in the side’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the final.

He also won the Fifa Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup with the Blues.

He was capped 36 times by England, scoring five goals, and was part of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Mount came through Chelsea’s academy before joining Vitesse on loan for the 2017-18 season, scoring nine goals in 29 Eredivisie appearances.

The following campaign he was loaned to Derby County, scoring eight goals in 35 Championship games under manager Frank Lampard as the Rams lost 2–1 to Aston Villa in the play-off final.

On his return to Chelsea in 2019, Mount made his breakthrough under the newly appointed Lampard and became a key player at Stamford Bridge.

Last month, Chelsea appointed former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager, replacing interim boss Lampard who took over after the sacking of Graham Potter.

The Blues are looking to downsize their squad and sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City this week, while fellow midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to join AC Milan.

Meanwhile, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have moved to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli, and N’Golo Kante has agreed a deal with fellow Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad.

Midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko also left Chelsea as a free agent after spending last season on loan at AC Milan.

Both clubs view it as a good deal.

Chelsea have secured a guaranteed £55m for a player who has made it abundantly clear they want to leave and could do nothing for 12 months as he has no intention of signing a contract extension.

For their part, United feel they have held a line drawn in what was said to be their “final” offer last week, as the additional £5m payments were only triggered by a number of major trophy successes in some seasons.

Ten Hag understandably appreciate Mount’s versatility, but view him primarily as an attacking midfielder, putting him in direct competition with Christian Eriksen.

For many, this won’t be seen as a bad thing as the 31-year-old Dane’s influence tends to wane in the second half of matches.

Mount’s arrival also raises question marks over the futures of Fred and Scott McTominay.

Fulham are a possible destination for Fred and United are open to offers for the 30-year-old Brazilian.

McTominay’s situation is more complicated.

United will be happy to keep the Scotland international, 26, who has spent his entire career with them.

However, it is clear that McTominay is not viewed as a regular first choice, and the club are unlikely to stand in his way if an acceptable offer comes his way.