Liverpool’s links to Mason Mount show no signs of slowing down, with the Reds at the “front of the queue” for the Chelsea midfielder’s signature.
Mount has been widely reported as a target for Liverpool as they look to bolster their midfield options this summer.
GOAL‘s Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones has suggested that the Reds remain in the driving seat for the 24-year-old, and expects that the club will continue to “put in some groundwork” to bring him to Anfield.
Speaking to The Redmen TV, Jones referenced “feedback” indicating that Mount would be open to the possibility of a move in order to seek greater “appreciation” and an improvement on the terms of his Chelsea deal.
“The clubs that want to sign him or be interested in signing him – Liverpool are one – will have already put in some groundwork and tested the water – they have,” Jones explained.
“The feedback that’s come back is not a case of ‘no, there’s no chance of signing this player’ or ‘no, he’s desperate to sign his new contract’ or anything like that.”
Jones also said that, should the opportunity present itself, Liverpool are “pretty much at the front of the queue or close to it” to sign the player.
Chelsea are expected to sell a number of their senior assets this summer in order to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations, with Mount a likely candidate as he stalls on a contract extension.
Jones indicated that a lack of Champions League football and big spending in January will put Chelsea in a position from which they will be forced to let players leave.
“They’re going to have to some book-balancing,” he explained.
“They spent an awful lot of money, they brought in an awful lot of players and there are players now that are going to have to leave the club.”
The journalist added that Premier League sides are now “getting their head around” the fact they will need to do business with their rivals.
Last summer saw Man City sell Raheem Sterling to Chelsea and both Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, with Jones anticipating the Blues to find themselves in a similar situation.
Mount will have just one year remaining on his current contract at the end of the season, meaning that he could represent real value if Chelsea are willing to negotiate.
Liverpool’s midfield will require major surgery this summer, and a cut-price deal for Mount could significantly aid the process as the Reds look to build for next season.
The midfielder would also help Liverpool towards fulfilling their homegrown quota, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nat Phillips and James Milner all set to depart in the summer.
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