Manchester United have made a major signing this summer, securing the services of midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea in a £60m deal. The move marks Erik ten Hag’s first signing as manager of Manchester United, as he looks to build on a successful first season at Old Trafford.
Mount, an England international, expressed his ambition and desire to win major trophies with his new club. He joins Manchester United after they recovered from a poor start to the 2022-23 campaign and finished third in the Premier League, securing qualification for the Champions League. They also won the EFL Cup, their first trophy since 2017.
The 24-year-old Mount, who had been with Chelsea since the age of six, attracted interest from other top clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool as his contract at Stamford Bridge was nearing its end. However, Manchester United emerged as the winners in the race to sign the talented midfielder by agreeing to pay Chelsea £55m plus £5m in add-ons.
The deal was confirmed by Manchester United on Wednesday morning through a short video on Twitter, showing Mount wearing the club’s new home kit. The caption accompanying the video read, “The excitement is mounting.” Chelsea reluctantly decided to sell Mount this summer rather than risk losing him for free when his contract expired in a year’s time. Mount had made 195 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 33 goals, and played a crucial role in their Champions League victory in 2021.
Mount has also represented England on 36 occasions and was part of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Manchester United had made three unsuccessful bids for Mount before finally reaching an agreement with Chelsea for a fee of £60m.
Mount’s departure from Stamford Bridge coincides with Mauricio Pochettino taking over as Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years. Last season, Mount and several other Chelsea players struggled as the team finished 12th in the Premier League, closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.
In other news, Manchester United are reportedly set to make a £40m bid for a striker and are looking to offload four players. Additionally, Mykhailo Mudryk is eager to join Chelsea and reunite with his teammate Georgiy Sudakov.
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