- Mount might leave Chelsea
- Linked with other Premier League giants
- Lampard wants Mount to stay at Chelsea
WHAT HAPPENED? The England international is yet to sign an extension with Chelsea and he is about to enter the final year of his contract. There have been several rounds of discussion over a potential new deal but the two parties have failed to reach an agreement. This has put other Premier League giants like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United on alert with the Red Devils reportedly preparing a £55 million ($68m) bid for him. However, interim manager Lampard, who handed Mount his debut during his first spell as Chelsea manager in 2019, wants him to continue at Stamford Bridge as he believes the academy graduates should stay on with the club.
WHAT THEY SAID: "It's a hard one for me to comment on because I'm not inside Mason's head and from the club's point of view my role is clearly what it is. In the practical sense, it's completely between both sides on that front. I'm not surprised because this is football. Does everyone know that I really like Mason Mount as a lad and as a football player? Yes, sure, of course, they do," he told reporters.
"I wish him the best personally and sitting here with my Chelsea top on now, I've seen what Mason has delivered at this club. But we'll see. I think it's important we try and keep that feeling that younger players can see a pathway to get into the Chelsea team and play for the team they will grow to love, which is Mason, which is Reece James etc. Of course in an ideal world those players stay with the club, but again in modern football, it isn't always that clear," he added.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lampard also hailed Thiago Silva's fitness as the 39-year-old has shown no signs of slowing down despite playing in a demanding division such as the Premier League.
"It's an amazing achievement physically. I played until 38, 39 but in the last couple of years in MLS I started to understand that my body was telling me 'don't do it anymore'. I've got nothing but praise for the career that Thiago has had and to see him at this level, he's an inspiration to the players, who could and should learn a lot from him in terms of how he looks after himself off the pitch and how he approaches training daily and what he demands from his team-mates," he stated.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty
Getty
GettyWHAT NEXT? Mount reportedly prefers a transfer to Manchester United but will miss the trip to Old Trafford on Thursday because of a pelvic injury.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
