Contract talks with Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount over a new deal have stalled.
The 23 year old will have just 18 months left on his contract after the World Cup, and whilst discussions about improved terms and conditions have been continuing for months, no agreement has been reached as yet.
Whilst Chelsea have looked at contingency plans – both Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrino and Veremy Pino of Villareal have been consider as options – the preference is to convince Mount to extend his stay with his boyhood club.
Despite the club’s recent struggles, Mount has been an ever present in the Premier League under Graham Potter and is believed to be integral to the rebuilding project required at the club.
Mount joined the club as a six year old, and, apart from loan spells in the Netherlands with Vitesse and with Derby County, has spent his entire career with Chelsea.
He is widely expected to start for England in their first World Cup game against Iran.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.