Arsenal are ‘determined’ to sign Chelsea star Mason Mount this summer as they look to bolster their midfield ranks ahead of the new season.
The Gunners are expected to sign Declan Rice from West Ham in a deal worth around £90m, provided that they can fight off late interest from Manchester United for the England star.
But their midfield recruitment will not stop there, with Granit Xhaka seemingly on the verge of departure amid strong links with a return to the Bundesliga with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen.
With a move for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo likely to be too expensive, they have turned their attentions to Mount, who is also attracting interest from Liverpool and Manchester United as well as German giants Bayern Munich, where he would reunite with Thomas Tuchel.
Though Chelsea are pushing hard to keep their Cobham academy star, he is approaching the final year of his contract and, should he not extend, they will be forced to cash in on the 24-year-old rather than losing him for free in 12 months time.
Initially demanding £70m for the midfielder, there is confidence that their financial position and weak bargaining position over Mount will see that sum decrease, though it is unclear how much by.
He has endured a tough season at Stamford Bridge, scoring just three times and grabbing two assists in Chelsea’s worst ever Premier League campaign, but he remains highly-regarded across English football, and continues to feature prominently for the National side as well as for the Blues.
