16 February 2023 , 19:03
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Chelsea have offered Mason Mount to Atletico Madrid in a player-exchange deal for Joao Felix with Manchester United among the clubs monitoring the England international’s situation should he stay in the Premier League, it has been claimed.
The 24-year-old has less than 18 months left on his current deal at Stamford Bridge, having come through the club’s youth ranks and progressed into an integral first-team player. Mount last signed a new contract in July 2019 after impressing on loan at Derby but is now coming to the end of that agreement.
Mount is not currently one of the top 20 paid players at Chelsea and with multiple attacking arrivals at the West London club across the past two transfer windows, his future has come into question.
Blues owner Todd Boehly initially oversaw a notable summer transfer spend with multiple big-money arrivals including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Carney Chukwuemeka and Marc Cucurella. Yet that spending was matched once again in a remarkable January splurge.
The Blues signed Mykhaylo Mudryk, who arrived in a deal worth up to £87m while they also completed the signing of PSV forward Noni Madueke alongside bringing Felix in on a loan deal for the remainder of the campaign.
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They were joined by defender Benoit Badiashile arriving from Monaco, a deal being concluded to sign right-back Malo Gusto from Lyon, the signings of midfielder Andrey Santos and striker David Datro Fofana and then, on transfer deadline, the British club record signing of Enzo Fernandez.
Mason Mount is in the final 18 months of his Chelsea contract (Marc Atkins/Getty Images)Have Your Say! Should Chelsea try to keep hold of Mason Mount? Tell us what you think here.
Graham Potter is now overloaded with attacking options, albeit without a first choice central attacking role. Felix has assumed that position in recent weeks – scoring against West Ham and impressing in the role at Borussia Dortmund – and the Blues now want to make his loan move permanent.
As outlined by Marca, Chelsea have held a transfer meeting with Atletico to alert them to their intentions of signing Felix on a permanent basis. Not only that, but the report claims that Mount was offered to the Spanish club as part of a potential deal.
That follows a report in ESPN which claims that United, alongside Liverpool and Manchester City, are also monitoring Mount’s contractual situation at Chelsea. There is a belief that they can engineer a move for the attacking midfielder.
Mount is said to be reluctant to accept a long-term commitment at Stamford Bridge but he is seeking a notable upturn on his £80k weekly wage at the club. However, it is added that Atletico will only countenance the permanent sale of Felix for a fixed cash amount.