Liverpool have made Mason Mount their top summer target.
That is after ruling themselves out of the running to sign Jude Bellingham, deciding that they just could not afford the Borussia Dortmund teenager. They had been heavily linked with the England international since last year, but with clubs with deeper pockets set to compete for him, he is now out of their financial reach.
Mount has been locked in contract negotiations with Chelsea about a new deal for months, but with the two sides remaining far apart in terms of valuation and terms, there is an increasing acceptance that the club may need to cash in on the player who will have just 12 months left on his contract when the transfer window opens.
They have put a valuation of between £50 million and £60 million on Mount, who was their Player of the Year for the past two seasons, but who has struggled, along with many others, in this campaign.
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.