Manchester City join Liverpool and Manchester United in monitoring Chelsea star

Three of the Premier League’s giants are monitoring the ongoing contractual situation of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, according to a new report.

Manchester City are set to be in the market for a new central midfielder in the upcoming summer transfer window, and Mount’s fellow England internationals in James Maddison and Jude Bellingham have been mooted as potential targets.

However, City have privately distanced themselves from interest in the Leicester City star, while Borussia Dortmund’s Bellingham is expected to command a transfer fee north of £100 million given the interest from the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid.

That could move City in the direction of other options, with Chelsea’s Mason Mount the latest to be linked with some level of interest and monitoring from those within the Etihad Stadium this week.

According to the information of ESPN’s James Olley, Manchester City are monitoring Mason Mount’s contract situation at Chelsea, alongside Liverpool and Manchester United, as talks ‘stall’ over a new deal.

It is highlighted that there has been ‘little progress’ over an extension in recent months for Mount at Stamford Bridge, with his existing contract set to expire at the end of next season.

As part of ongoing talks and attempts to renew the England international’s deal, it is stated that Mason Mount is also seeking a ‘significant increase’ on his existing Chelsea wage, which is estimated at being around £80,000-a-week.

While the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, and Liverpool may all be monitoring the situation concerning Mason Mount, ESPN reaffirm that the player is not actively pushing to leave the club and talks are set to continue over a new deal.

Only time will tell whether Mount’s existing favourable contract situation leads to any significant movement from the likes of Manchester City, but Chelsea will almost certainly be keen to keep a player they have had training for them since the age of six.

While midfield is expected to be an area where Manchester City invest significantly this summer, their significant transfer budget is also likely to allow big moves in other positions, including the wide-attacking roles and left-back.

The latter has been a problem position for Manchester City over a number of years, with their last consistent traditional left-backs being Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov.

Since joining the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016, manager Pep Guardiola has used a multitude of players out of the natural positions to make up for the absence of a consistent traditional left-back, including the likes of Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko.