MANCHESTER UNITED have seen a £40million offer for Mason Mount REJECTED by Chelsea.
The Blues want between £70m and 80m for the England international, 24.
It comes as he prepares to enter the final 12 months of his contract after talks over a new deal broke down.
Man Utd are considered the frontrunners for Mount as Erik ten Hag looks to bolster his squad this summer.
But their opening £40m bid has been rejected out of hand by Chelsea.
It is believed to be a long way off the valuation made by Stamford Bridge chiefs.
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Mount has played 195 games for his boyhood club, contributing 33 goals and 37 assists.
He lifted the Champions League in 2021 under Thomas Tuchel, but fell out of favour during the 2022-23 campaign after Graham Potter took charge.
Owner Todd Boehly is keen to avoid players departing for free and so has made it a priority to shift stars with just one year left on their contracts.
But Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Man Utd should go for Declan Rice rather than Mount.
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Rice, 24, who is best friends with Mount, looks set to join Arsenal after West Ham chairman David Sullivan confirmed the Europa Conference League triumph was his final game for the club.
But Carragher feels United need to be in for Rice over Mount as he told Metro.co.uk: “Mason Mount is an upgrade on Christian Eriksen in terms of where he plays.
“But going back to Declan Rice, United are one of the few teams at the top who don’t play 4-3-3, it’s usually two midfielders with Bruno Fernandes.
“Declan Rice and Mason Mount, they are very different players and it shouldn’t be one or the other but when you look at what Manchester United have got right now, I actually think Declan Rice would be a better fit for them. A lot more expensive of course.
“I do think he (Mount) is a good player and I like him, I wanted Liverpool to get him. Lots of coaches have picked him and like him.
“There is already a good player in there but Declan Rice would suit United more than Mason Mount in terms of how they set up.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
