Man Utd ‘ready to give up on Mason Mount transfer’ and go against Ten Hag wish

Manchester United are reportedly willing to ‘walk away’ from transfer talks with Chelsea if their next bid for Mason Mount is not accepted. Erik ten Hag is pushing to acquire the services of the midfielder, though the higher powers at Old Trafford are not willing to overspend on a player who is available for nothing in 12 months’ time.

The Red Devils are hoping to push for the Premier League title next season, though first reinforcements are required in all areas of the pitch. A new goalkeeper and marquee No 9 are top priorities, though neither are likely to be the first new signing through the door at the Theatre of Dreams.

United are instead looking to capitalise on Mount’s desire to leave Chelsea by striking a deal for his services, with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool also linked previously. Ten Hag’s side have already seen two bids rejected for the 24-year-old so far this summer, though both fell markedly below the Blues’ valuation of their academy graduate.

According to The Times, United are now preparing their ‘third and final’ offer for the England international worth in excess of £55million. Chelsea are said to have lowered their valuation to £65m rather than more than £70m after the player made it very clear that he will not be penning a contract extension with the club, meaning he will depart for free in 2024 if not sold now.

United believe that their rivals are valuing the midfielder ‘too highly’ given that he is heading into the final 12 months of his contract and wants to leave Chelsea. Thus, if their third offer is not accepted then they are ‘willing to walk away’ from talks and turn their attention to alternative targets.

Despite the United board’s stance, Ten Hag is ‘keen’ for a deal to be reached and would like Mount to be welcomed into his squad before pre-season so that he will be familiar with his tactics and the club prior to the 2023/24 campaign kicking off.

Chelsea are open to offloading numerous players this summer in order to fund their own rebuild, with several players recently agreeing on deals to head to Saudi Arabia. Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy are all Middle East-bound, with free agent N’Golo Kante recently penning a deal with Al Ittihad too.

United will therefore be wary that overpaying for Mount will provide the Blues with extra funds to sign their own transfer targets, especially considering that both clubs are keen on Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, valued at £50m, as well as Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.