30 March 2023 , 15:48
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Mason Mount has paid little mind to the transfer rumours swirling around him as he reflected on his poor season for Chelsea, asking: "Why did that happen?"
The England midfielder, 24, is a target for Liverpool and Bayern Munich as he rapidly approaches the final year of his contract, having rejected the offer of an extension. Jurgen Klopp admires the boyhood Blue while Thomas Tuchel hopes to reunite with his former player after taking over as Bayern manager.
Despite the intense interest in his services, Mount is enduring a poor season as he has registered three goals and two assists in the Premier League - a far cry from the 21 goal involvements (11 goals, 10 assists) he plundered last campaign. This underwhelming recent form has left the 2021 Champions League winner scrambling for answers to three questions in particular.
"It's been tough and I think you learn a lot from a season like this and you can grow a lot," Mount told the Evening Standard. "Maybe I'm not going to achieve the goals I set at the beginning of this year.
"You look at it like: Why did that happen? How can I affect that for next year? How can I do better? We've still got some more to go and hopefully another competition to try and win."
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Alongside Liverpool and Bayern, Manchester United and Manchester City are believed to be monitoring Mount's situation. The principal sticking point in negations over a new contract with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy centres on weekly wage, as the player wants a substantial increase on the £85,000 he has taken home since signing a new deal in July 2019.
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Mason Mount has not scored or assisted with fluency this season (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)Chelsea manager Graham Potter is desperate to keep hold of one of his most important personnel - Mount has made 32 appearances in all competitions this season - but admits the situation is far from simple. Speaking in mid-February, Potter said: "I think it's always complicated, there is always negotiation.
"It's best I leave it between Mason and the club, that is the best way for that to be dealt with as far as I'm concerned. He's been fantastic to work with, an important player for us, and of course, I hope it gets resolved quickly. In terms of how the group is working, it's positive."
Mount made his Chelsea debut under Frank Lampard at the start of the 2019/20 season and has racked up a total of 192 appearances for the club. He has not signed a new contract since his first-team bow despite establishing himself as a starting XI regular under Lampard, Tuchel and Potter.