Mason Mount reveals the reason behind his exit from Chelsea to Man Utd
It was one of the transfer sagas of the summer. Mason Mount leaving Chelsea. It seemed to drag on forever, but in relative terms, it was done fairly early in the summer transfer window.
With less than a year to run on his contract at Stamford Bridge, where he had been since the age of six, talks over an extension were on and off between Mount and Chelsea. There were several clubs lurking with the uncertainty over the England international’s future – namely Manchester United and Liverpool.
Both clubs more than expressed an interest in Mount. And while some at Chelsea wanted to keep Mount around, the club never made him an offer he believed was representative of his value in west London.
At one point, Chelsea proposed a one-year extension to his contract, a deal which would see his salary increase. However, Mount never had any intention of agreeing to that deal.
Mount, who was heavily criticised by many during his time with the Blues, looked incredibly emotional at the end of Chelsea’s final match of the season against Newcastle United. It looked like a goodbye – and that is exactly what it turned out to be.
And by the time the summer transfer window rolled around, Mount’s future seemed to be inevitably elsewhere. Man United then agreed a £60million deal with Chelsea for the Cobham graduate to bring him to Old Trafford for the next five years at least.
Mount then explained his reasons for leaving Stamford Bridge after almost 20 years with the west Londoners. “Several months ago, it became clear I wasn’t in Chelsea’s plans moving forward,” Mount said in an interview with MUTV back in July.
“Once I knew that United were involved, my decision was made up. A massive club, huge iconic players that have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early and ready for pre-season to start was a main objective of mine as well.”
Since moving to Old Trafford, it has been far from perfect for the 25-year-old. Injuries have plagued his short time in Manchester up until now. He missed five games at the beginning of the season through injury and then later on in the campaign, he was out for a total of 21 matches in all competitions with a calf problem that have restricted his chances of making the England squad for this summer’s European Championships.
The former Chelsea midfielder is back now, however, and rather fittingly is in contention to start on Thursday night in what will be his first return to Stamford Bridge since leaving the club less than 12 months ago. Mount made his return to Premier League action at the weekend and scored late on for United in their 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
It is set to be an incredibly frosty reception for Mount when he returns to SW6, with plenty of supporters still infuriated by his decision to leave for Man United last summer. It has been 273 days since Mount turned blue for red but after being injured in the fixture between the two sides earlier this season, it is the first time he will experience playing against the club he adored for so long.
