Interim Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has confessed that he cannot guarantee the future of in-demand midfielder Mason Mount.
Despite lengthy discussions, the 24-year-old has been unable to reach an agreement with the Blues on a new contract and is set to become a free agent in the summer of 2024.
Mount is believed to be seeking pay that would make him one of the club’s highest-paid players if he stayed, but Chelsea are unable to meet his financial demands.
As a result, the Blues may be obliged to sell in the summer if the England international does not agree to new terms, with Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool all rumoured to be keen.
Lampard comments on situation of Mason Mount
“I think it is a difficult situation. From working with Mason and other players when I was here before, they’ve either gone on to be really important players for the club that have a real relation with the fans, back and forth, because they really feel the club when they’ve been in the academy since eight years of age,”
Lampard said.
“And some of them have moved on to other clubs and the club have done well out of that. They’ve gone on and you’ve wished them well in their careers. I think with Mason particularly, as an individual, I don’t know what the solution is going to be because it’s a club and Mason issue.”
“I don’t know exactly where Mason is at personally. He’s got a year left on his contract. I know he’s held in high regard at the club and I know the club are doing what they can to make him stay.”
“But I think also with Mason, I’d never want to stand here and talk in the modern day about what a player should do, because they’ll see it all with their own eyes.”
“In the old days, it was, ‘why are you leaving the club?’ In the modern day, players move on. It’s a shame we’ve got into a situation where it looks like it’s happening maybe now.”
Mount earned a reputation for himself at Chelsea under Lampard’s tutelage after shining for Derby County under Lampard’s tutelage in the 2018-19 season, but has since experienced a dip in fortunes during an injury-plagued 2022-23 season.
This season, the 24-year-old has only three goals and six assists in 35 games across all competitions, and he has only played 16 minutes of Premier League football since the beginning of March due to a pelvic injury.
Mount’s fitness for the Blues’ final-day encounter with Newcastle United at the weekend is still unknown, and the midfielder may have played his final game for the club if he does not recover in time.
Mount, who has been with Chelsea since 2005, has scored 33 goals and provided 37 assists in 195 appearances for the Blues, winning the Champions League, Club World Cup, and UEFA Super Cup along the way.
The former Derby and Vitesse loanee is reportedly scheduled for new negotiations about his Chelsea future next week, but he is said to be leaning towards a move to Manchester United if an agreement cannot be reached with the West London club.
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