CHELSEA have allegedly opened talks with Reece James and Mason Mount over new deals that would see them both receive a bumper pay rise.
The England internationals both came through the club’s academy and are now first-team regulars under Thomas Tuchel.
However, the pair are two of the lowest-paid members of the Blues squad but The Athletic claims that Chelsea’s new owners “made it a priority” to sort out extensions for them when taking charge in May.
James is under contract until 2025 while Mount’s current deal ends 12 months earlier.
The duo have also attracted huge interest from Chelsea’s Premier League rivals while Real Madrid have also been linked with full-back James.
But Stamford Bridge chiefs want to secure their long-term futures and have started discussions over new long-term contracts.
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Mount initially shone on loan in the Championship at Derby County and he signed his current package after that stint with the Rams in 2019.
The 23-year-old midfielder, who has 31 caps for England, has since gone on to be voted Chelsea’s Player of the Year twice and helped them to win the Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup and the Uefa Super Cup.
James was also promoted to the Blues first-team after impressing on loan at Wigan Athletic.
The versatile defender signed a five-year contract six months after Mount put pen-to-paper and he has also gone on to play a key role in the above successes.
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The Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium now in charge of Chelsea have already backed boss Thomas Tuchel in the transfer market.
They have splashed the cash to bring in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana – with a deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also drawing closer.
However, it seems they are also determined to hang on to their best players and are now aiming to reward both James and Mount for their performances.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
