Should Mason Mount join Man United, Liverpool or Arsenal after Chelsea?

Mason Mount - a player who not so long ago looked like being Chelsea's midfield lynchpin for a decade or more - looks to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.

Such is the sheer volume of players in Chelsea's squad and the complete uncertainty over who the incoming manager will want, England international Mount has found himself on the 'for sale' list.

With just one year remaining on his contract, Chelsea must sell the 24-year-old this summer if they're to get anything like their £85million valuation.

In reality, the selling price is likely to be more like £55m and, as Mail Sport reported this week, Manchester United are the first to make a move for Mount.

That price could be forced up because Arsenal and Liverpool are also keen on a player who has endured a frustrating season for club and country.

Mount started a good number of Premier League and Champions League games under Thomas Tuchel and then Graham Potter but has struggled to match the form of previous seasons.

An injury to his abdomen/pelvis that required a minor operation last month curtailed his campaign as the Blues limp to a disappointing mid-table finish under Frank Lampard's caretaker charge.

Mount, once the darling of England manager Gareth Southgate, only played a bit-part at the Qatar World Cup, too, and it does seem a change will do him good.

But which of his three suitors is the best fit for the versatile midfielder? And should Chelsea even be considering letting him leave in the first place?

MANCHESTER UNITED

The fact United have tried to steal a march on their rivals indicates just how much Erik ten Hag admires Mount.

Although buying a centre forward has to be United's priority over the summer, bringing in another quality midfielder is also essential if Ten Hag's side are to properly compete with Manchester City.

He has spent much of the second half of the season relying on loanee Marcel Sabitzer in the central midfield role alongside Casemiro or Christian Eriksen.

Mount would be able to play in that position or as an alternative to Bruno Fernandes in the No 10 role, offering another option in an area where United often look a bit light.

Assuming Sabitzer returns to Bayern Munich and isn't signed permanently, United are left even more reliant on Casemiro, Eriksen and Fernandes, with Fred, Scott McTominay or Donny van de Beek less than inspiring back-ups.

Ten Hag would admire Mount's box-to-box work rate and tactical intelligence. He would also be able to reduce the workload on Fernandes, who seems to play every single game.

Put simply, United don't score enough goals to properly challenge for the Premier League but Mount has been known to chip in and his creativity from deeper in midfield would surely benefit the striker they bring in.

Mount has 33 goals and 37 assists in 195 outings for Chelsea, though he has been well below his usual returns in a dysfunctional side this season.

Working more regularly alongside Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho - and perhaps Harry Kane too - can only be good news for England ahead of Euro 2024.

The only surprise is that United are prepared to countenance a £55m or more outlay on a midfielder when that isn't their No 1 priority position this summer.

Ten Hag has been told he will have only £100m to spend on new recruits because of FFP restrictions and so unless a decent chunk of money is recouped from player sales, Mount would take up most of that.

Nonetheless, it isn't hard to see how Mount slots in at Old Trafford.

LIVERPOOL

Liverpool's pursuit of the new midfielder is no secret but they decided against Jude Bellingham to channel funds towards a broader rebuild of Jurgen Klopp's team.

Mount sits among a number of cheaper options, including Alexis Mac Allister, Matheus Nunes, Moises Caicedo and Chelsea team-mate Conor Gallagher.

Klopp would certainly enjoy Mount's energy and willingness to press opponents. He honed this when Frank Lampard set Chelsea up in a 4-3-3 system similar to Liverpool's during the 2020-21 season.

Despite his current issues, Mount has a very good fitness record and so is less likely to break down amid the demands of Klopp's style.

The likes of Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones have all suffered injury issues when asked to perform the demanding No 8 role.

Another asset of Mount's game is that he likes to drift into wide areas, where he possesses the qualities to deliver a good pass or cross into the box.

This would reduce the reliance on Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, though Mount would also be able to work in tandem with the flying wing-backs.

You can see Klopp absolutely loving Mount in the way Lampard and Southgate also really appreciate what he can bring to a team. Work rate would be the most admired quality.

Of course, there would need to be more output than the three goals and six assists Mount has produced for Chelsea this season - but that's well within his compass.

ARSENAL

Having enjoyed their best Premier League season in years, Arsenal need to figure out how to take their talented team to the next level and go toe-to-toe with Manchester City again.

Mikel Arteta plans a number of additions this summer and midfield is certainly the key area.

Again, you'd argue that Mount can be a decent fit, potentially as the replacement for Granit Xhaka in Arteta's midfield three given his versatility.

The Gunners have prioritised players with previous Premier League experience a lot of the time, with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard and Jorginho some recent examples.

Mount brings that, plus Champions League experience as Arsenal return to Europe's top competition for the first time since 2016-17.

Let's not forget it's only two years ago Mount was scoring against Real Madrid in a Champions League semi-final before setting up Kai Havertz for the winning goal in the final with Man City.

Arteta, like Ten Hag and Klopp, will also cherish Mount's willingness to counter-press with Arsenal's intensity to force opponents back inside their own defensive third a feature of their title tilt.

The other factor is his close friendship with Declan Rice - the No 1 Arsenal summer target.

It always seemed likely the two mates would join forces at a club, as well as for England, at some point during their careers, so why not at Arsenal?

Man United may have a say in that, likewise Chelsea, with the trio in for Rice, who is valued at £100m.

If Mount could convince Rice, or vice versa, to come to the Emirates then Arsenal could have a very strong core in place to challenge for honours again next season.

Of course the big sticking point may be if the Gunners can afford both Rice and Mount in one go.

STAY AT CHELSEA

Many Chelsea fans will be sad to see a talented homegrown player such as Mount let go but club and player remain apart when it comes to discussions over a new contract.

Mount earns around £80,000-per-week and talks over a new deal that would have boosted that to £200,000-a-week seemed to be heading in the right direction under the previous Chelsea regime.

Since then, Roman Abramovich has left and Todd Boehly has come in, with the American keen to remind Mount of his importance in talks last month.

Another round of negotiations are expected before the summer but the chaotic season at Stamford Bridge has led to doubts over Mount's standing within the squad amid increased competition.

Now with Chelsea urgently needing to sell players to offset the £600m-plus they have spent under Boehly, Mount looks to be heading for the exit door.

The ironic thing is that incoming coach Mauricio Pochettino - assuming it is Pochettino - would surely relish working with Mount.

The Argentine has a good track record of getting the best from English players and would make Mount an important player having admired him for a number of years.

But the reality is Chelsea have yet to produce a contract offer which shows they value him enough to persuade him to stay. And it's clear Mount can simply walk into one of their direct rivals.