Liverpool and Manchester United could both have their hopes of signing Mason Mount dashed by a familiar rival: Thomas Tuchel.
The former Chelsea boss has been appointed the new manager of German giants Bayern Munich and has seemingly wasted no time in drawing up his transfer plans. Just days into his new post - succeeding Julian Nagelsmann after his ruthless sacking - Tuchel is already keen on a reunion with Mount, whose future at Chelsea is in the spotlight after rejecting a £200,000-a-week contract offer.
Approaching the final year on his current deal at Stamford Bridge and reportedly hiring a new agent, there's no sign that the English midfielder, 24, is set to agree a new contract with the Blues under boss Graham Potter. Mount's situation at his boyhood club has alerted Liverpool and United, but now Bayern are preparing to join the race for his signature.
According to The Times, Tuchel is hoping to reunite with the England international in Munich when the summer transfer window opens. While Chelsea are expected demand at least £50million to sell their academy product, Bayern chiefs are scheming to take advantage of his predicament and give their new gaffer a valuable asset in time for next season.
Tuchel, like the vast majority of Mount's previous managers, rarely went without the talented playmaker in his starting XI over their 18 months together, notably making him a regular fixture as Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021. Mount remained integral to the German coach's setup until his surprise dismissal last September, but Potter appears to have much less faith in the 24-year-old.
Mount has only played the full 90 minutes of a game twice since the World Cup, where even Gareth Southgate decided to drop him from the starting XI for England's final three matches. Currently sidelined with a hamstring injury which forced him to pull out of the most recent Three Lions squad, there's uncertainty surrounding Mount for arguably the first time in his senior career.
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Potter hopes that the former Derby County and Vitesse Arnhem loanee will eventually put pen to paper on fresh terms with Chelsea, but the Blues boss admits that Mount is "suffering." Speaking earlier this month, Potter declared: "Mason has been great to work with. He's been top.
"He's suffering like the rest of us because we want to do better, we want better results. In terms of the contract that's between him and club. I'm the head coach and I get on with my job to work with the players and help them improve. At the moment we're not doing that as well as we liked so that's the focus for me."
Mount is expected to return from injury in the coming weeks.
