Arteta ‘privately’ dropped Arsenal ‘done deal’ claim about Man Utd star despite Liverpool ‘contact’
According to reports, Mikel Arteta ‘privately’ told club staff that he thought Mason Mount to Arsenal was a ‘done deal’ before he joined Manchester United.
Mount left boyhood club Chelsea last summer as Man Utd invested an initial fee of around £55m to land the England international.
Difficult debut season
Chelsea opted to cash in on Mount as he entered the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and this transfer was sanctioned to ease their financial fair play issues.
The 25-year-old was initially expected to sign for Liverpool as part of their midfield rebuild but he was linked with Premier League rivals before Man Utd secured his services.
Mount has endured a difficult debut season at Old Trafford as the midfielder has missed much of this campaign due to injury.
It has been a season full of lows for Mount but he produced for Man Utd last weekend as he scored off the bench in the 1-1 draw against Brentford in his first appearance since recovering from a hamstring injury.
On Thursday night, Mount will make his return to Stamford Bridge as Man Utd travel to face Chelsea. Ahead of this game, a report from ESPN claims the midfielder had been ‘hurt’ by ‘a running joke on social media that fans had “forgotten he played for United”‘.
It is also noted that Mount has found this season ‘particularly hard’ as he has ‘been so desperate to make a good first impression at his new club’.
The report from ESPN also claims Mount was ‘disappointed’ after it was suggested that he left Chelsea for ‘financial reasons’ as club chiefs felt his exit was the ‘perfect solution’.
‘According to sources, Mount has found the transition from Chelsea to United difficult to navigate. He’s been keen to win over the fans as quickly as possible, while also trying to remain respectful to the Chelsea supporters he left behind.
‘Mount was disappointed by the characterisation that he left Stamford Bridge for financial reasons when, according to multiple sources, the decision was made way above his head.
‘Chelsea’s owners were under pressure to raise money during last summer’s transfer window, and as an academy graduate entering the final year of his contract, Mount was viewed as the perfect solution to generate a much-needed cash injection. According to sources, rather than Mount rejecting numerous contract proposals made by the club, Chelsea were inviting offers as early as December 2022.’
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Arsenal ‘done deal’
The report also reveals Jurgen Klopp was in ‘regular contact’ with Mount and Arsenal thought a deal was ‘done’ before he signed for Man Utd.
‘Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, according to a source, was in regular contact with Mount from January 2023.
‘At one stage, meanwhile, a source said that talks with Arsenal got so advanced that Mikel Arteta privately told his coaches that a transfer to the Emirates was “a done deal.”‘
