Mason Mount rejected contract offers from Chelsea before leaving for Manchester United (Picture: Getty Images)
Mason Mount has been unveiled as a Manchester United player after securing a move from Chelsea, but the Blues made plenty of attempts to keep him at Stamford Bridge.
The England midfielder has moved to Old Trafford in a deal worth £55m, plus £5m in add-ons, after lengthy negotiations between the two Premier League clubs.
Mount was heading into the final year of his contract with the Blues and they chose to sell him while they could bring in a significant transfer fee, rather than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
Chelsea had tried to tie the 24-year-old down to a longer contract, with The Athletic reporting that at least two offers were made between August and November last year, but both were rejected.
A deal was close to being agreed on in November, with a significant increase on Mount’s previous wages of £80,000-per-week, but then Mount’s camp was surprised to see the offer withdrawn when he had returned from the World Cup.
Another offer was made by Chelsea in February, which was worth £200,000-per-week, but only ran until 2025.
The Athletic’s report states that Mount and his team saw this as a move to ensure that Chelsea could sell him for the best price possible this summer and rejected the deal.
The Blues claimed this was not the case and they intended to take the pressure off the contract situation by offering a short-term fix, with more negotiations to come over the summer.
There have certainly been disagreements between player and club and they have led to Mount leaving for Manchester United, reportedly on a bigger contract than he had ever been offered by Chelsea.
The midfielder has signed a contract that runs until the end of the 2027/28 season, with the option of a further year.
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The last offer was rejected in February.