MU is showing frustration with Chelsea due to the difficult behavior of The Blues in pursuing midfielder Mason Mount.
The developments in MU's pursuit of Mason Mount (Chelsea) have provided additional noteworthy information. The midfielder is considered one of the top targets that MU wants to bring in to strengthen their midfield. After a relatively successful debut season under Erik ten Hag, securing the League Cup, reaching the FA Cup final, and finishing third in the Premier League 2022/23, MU is planning to invest £120 million in summer transfers.
In reality, Mount's contract with Stamford Bridge has only one year remaining. In the past season, the 24-year-old English midfielder scored three goals and provided two assists in 24 Premier League matches, with Chelsea finishing 12th in the league. In this context, MU is hoping that The Blues will soon "release" Mount during this summer's transfer window.
However, the gap between wishes and reality is far. Recently, "The Red Devils" were hit with cold water by Chelsea when their third offer of £55 million was flatly rejected. Not stopping there, The Blues even "shouted" a price of £58 million, along with an additional £7 million fee, before finally agreeing to let Mount join Manchester. It should be noted that MU had previously made offers of £40 million and £50 million, both of which were rejected by Chelsea.
Shocked by the "shouted" price, MU is also "furious" with Chelsea over their behavior in this transfer deal. According to the Manchester Evening News, The Blues quietly leaked the information about MU's bidding price to the media. This has caused great resentment among the depth of MU's leadership. MU's Director of Football, John Murtough, expressed disappointment and did not hesitate to criticize Chelsea's unprofessionalism in disclosing information to the media.
"John Murtough is clearly unhappy with Chelsea. Not only Murtough, many other officials at MU also feel frustrated with The Blues. Chelsea is overvaluing Mount, and leaking information about the price offered to this midfielder is unacceptable," quoted the Manchester Evening News from a close source.
If Mount is abandoned, MU still has at least four other targets to pursue for the midfield, and any addition would be "acceptable". It is also worth noting that coach Erik ten Hag still has many tasks to complete in order to improve the squad in the summer of 2023. In addition to the midfield position, he wants to bring in a striker to strengthen the attack. MU is interested in Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta) and Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt). Furthermore, The Red Devils are closely monitoring Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
With the impasse in the pursuit of Mount, it would not be surprising if MU crosses his name off the list and moves on to more feasible targets. This is also the opinion of former Aston Villa striker Gabby Agbonlahor, who believes that MU is best off not being interested in Mount anymore. "I'll be blunt and say that Mount is worth a maximum of £40 million. If Chelsea demands more than that, I think MU should hang up the phone because Chelsea is not serious," emphasized Agbonlahor.
