Another Terms agreed: Man United close in on “unbelievable” £70m ace, imagine him & Casemiro – opinion
According to The Times, the Chelsea midfielder has agreed to personal terms with Manchester United this summer.
According to the report, the Red Devils are close to making Mount their first summer acquisition, with Erik ten Hag looking to add more creativity to his midfield set-up this summer and Chelsea keen to pay in to guarantee they don’t lose a significant asset on a free next year.
Is Mason Mount a good fit for Manchester United?
While the most pressing issue for Erik Ten Hag this summer will be the center-forward position, an opportunity to improve the quality and attacking perspectives in the center of the pitch is one they cannot afford to pass on.
Although Manchester United has a number of highly regarded midfielders, it is an area of the squad that is starting to age, with Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, and Fred all in their 30s and, aside from Bruno Fernandes, three of the most experienced first teamers.
As a result, Mount’s signing provides an opportunity for the Dutch manager to continue his rebuilding at Old Trafford by introducing not only some youth into the midfield personnel but also retaining a high level of talent and a winning attitude to match those decorated players who surround him.
The 24-year-old Champions League winner – who has been “unbelievable” in Joe Cole’s words – offers flexibility in his positioning with experience operating in a variety of roles over his illustrious career so far, but could be the dream creative outlet that Ten Hag is looking for, who can combine with one of his England teammates to make United an unstoppable force.
Marcus Rashford has been one of the standout performers on the red side of Manchester this season, tallying 30 goals and 11 assists in all competitions with a goal contribution every 104 minutes, an impressive output unmatched by any other player on the team, with Fernandes coming in second scoring less than half (14).
Mount may now provide the speedy winger with even more chances to convert by infusing consistent creativity into the midfield and breaking the lines of attack to generate a deadly attacking threat.
The Chelsea academy graduate ranks in the top 15% of his positional peers in midfield across the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions, shots on goal, progressive carries, touches, and progressive passes received, demonstrating that he could be a valuable asset in playing the final ball into the box or even confidently taking goal-scoring opportunities for himself.
Having said that, it will be intriguing to see how Ten Hag deploys Mount if he joins the Red Devils this summer and whether he can live up to the lofty expectations that come with his estimated £70 million price tag next season.
