Revealed: Mason Mount came close to joining Liverpool & Arsenal before £60m Man Utd transfer - with Mikel Arteta believing deal with Chelsea was 'done'

Mount was sold by Chelsea to raise much-needed cash rather than because of the player's demands, according to ESPN. The club had supposedly been looking to move their academy graduate on from December 2022 and it's claimed Mount came close to signing for both Liverpool and Arsenal before joining United last summer in a £60 million ($76m) transfer, with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta even believing a move to the Emirates was a 'done deal' at one stage.

That nature of transfer could be repeated this summer, with Conor Gallagher and captain Reece James being linked with a move away from Chelsea as Todd Boehly and Co desperately look to meet Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Academy graduates represent pure profit, making them very sellable assets.

It was reported in the summer that Mount had been locked in protracted contract talks with Chelsea in 2022, but the club felt he didn't deserve to be paid as much as fellow Cobham graduate James. He was apparently offered a £200,000-per-week ($254,000) deal in February 2023 that would have only extended his stay by 12 months, leading a frustrated Mount to look at other options.

As fate would have it, Mount makes his first return to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night as Chelsea host United in the Premier League. The 25-year-old has had his season ravaged by injury, but scored his first goal for the Red Devils against Brentford last time out and will be hoping to start against his former club.