Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has reportedly asked midfielder Mason Mount to sign a one or two-year extension amid “increasingly aggressive” advances from Liverpool.
Mount will enter the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge this summer, and Chelsea face the risk of having to sell him to avoid another Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger situation.
According to the Evening Standard, Boehly, who has led contract negotiations with players since the takeover, has recently resumed talks with Mount.
This is after Mount reportedly turned down a new seven-year deal that Chelsea offered him.
Aside from the length of the contract offer, Chelsea are also said to be reluctant to put the versatile midfielder on £250,000-a-week that Reece James currently earns after signing his new deal last September.
The report mentions that image rights and other clauses also appear unfavourable for Mount compared to previous contracts under Roman Abramovich.
There is still time for the two parties to find a common ground, but Boehly is said to be the one offering an alternative solution.
The Evening Standard claims that the Chelsea chairman has asked Mount to sign a short-term extension, a one or two-year deal, to buy the club more time and give them a stronger position to reject approaches from Liverpool.
The Merseyside club are not the only club interested in the England international, whom Chelsea reportedly valued at £70million, however.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Arsenal are all reportedly monitoring Mount’s situation at Chelsea.
Given Chelsea’s managerial situation, signing a short-term extension may not be as appealing as it should be for Mount, too.
While it still gives him the option to decide his own future in the next couple of years, there is no guarantee that these aforementioned clubs will still be interested in him by then.
Chelsea’s hunt for a new manager will likely play a big part in Mount’s decision-making process, too.
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