New Manchester United signing Mason Mount says he left Chelsea with it having become clear “several months ago” that he was not in the club’s plans for the future.
The England midfielder completed his move from the Blues to United this week on a deal to 2028, with the option of a further year, for what is understood to be an initial fee of £55million.
Mount told MUTV: “Several months ago I think it became clear that I wasn’t in Chelsea’s plans moving forward and once I knew that United were involved, my decision was made.
“It’s a massive club, huge, iconic players have played here, and I wanted to be a part of that from the beginning. Getting in early, ready for pre-season to start, was a main objective of mine as well.”
The 24-year-old – who had an 18-year association with Chelsea, played 195 times for them, scoring 33 goals, and helped them win the Champions League in 2021 – added: “I’ve always seen myself as a midfielder, a number eight that can obviously get forward and attack, try to score goals, create goals, but also be able to do the other side as well and defend and help the team when we’re under pressure. That’s a massive focus of mine.
“I know what I can bring to this team and now it’s about going and doing it on the pitch.”
Mount, set to wear the number seven shirt in Erik ten Hag’s United team, cut short a family holiday in Disneyland to finalise the deal.
He said: “We had a little trip to Disneyland, for the niece mainly – I enjoyed it as well, of course!
“We came back a bit early just to make our way up here, drive up here, see what the trip’s like and everything. But it was well worth it, and it’s great to be up here now.
“It’s been an amazing couple of days, coming here, seeing everyone, meeting everyone at the training ground, such a warm welcome. I feel very much at home already.”
Manchester United have completed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea on a contract to 2028 with the option of a further year, the club have announced.
The PA news agency understands the fee agreed for the 24-year-old England midfielder is an initial £55million.
Mount – who came through the ranks at Chelsea and made 129 Premier League appearances for them, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists – said in a statement from United: “It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.
“Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I’m joining, and I can’t wait to be part of this group’s drive to win major trophies.”
Mason Mount announces Chelsea exit
July 05, 2023Mason Mount has confirmed that he will be leaving Chelsea after 18 years at the club.
The 24-year-old came through the ranks at Stamford Bridge and since making his first-team debut in 2019 has gone on to score 27 goals and provide 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.
The PA news agency understands that Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign the midfielder for an initial £55million.
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Mount, who won the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021 and has earned 36 caps for England, posted a farewell message to Blues fans on Instagram.
He said on Instagram: “Hi Chelsea fans, given the speculation over the last six months this may not come as a surprise to you, but it doesn’t make it any easier to tell you that I’ve made the decision to leave Chelsea.
“I feel you deserve more than just a written statement, so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I’ve been for all of your support over the last 18 years.
“I know some of you won’t be happy with my decision, but it’s what’s right for me at this moment in my career.
“I joined Chelsea when I was six years old and we’ve been through a lot together.
“Winning the Youth Cup, my Player of the Year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.
“I want to say thank you to the academy, Jim and Neil for being so influential to me from such a young age.
“The managers I’ve worked under, Frank (Lampard), Thomas (Tuchel) and Graham (Potter), the backroom staff, the unsung heroes of Cobham, all of my teammates over the years that have become my brothers.
“My family for the continuous love and support and most importantly you guys for sticking with me throughout. Wish you all the best.”
Chelsea have signed England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton on a free transfer from Aston Villa.
The 22-year-old, capped twice by her country and named in Sarina Wiegman’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, has signed a three-year deal after her contract with Villa expired.
She brings Women’s Super League experience from stints with both Birmingham and Villa, having made 15 appearances while helping the latter to a fifth-placed finish last term.
Hampton was part of England’s trophy-winning squad at Euro 2022 and also has honours to her name from the Finalissima earlier this year and 2022’s Arnold Clark Cup.
In joining the reigning WSL champions, she now wants to add club silverware to her collection.
“I’m very excited,” Hampton said on the Chelsea website. “It’s a massive club, it’s an honour to be a part of this and to be able to wear the club’s badge. I want to keep improving, to help the team however I can and I’d love to win some trophies with the club at the same time.”
Hampton began her career with Villarreal in Spain after moving to the country as a youngster, but then returned to England with Stoke before joining hometown club Birmingham, making her senior debut in 2017 and making 50 appearances before switching to rivals Villa in 2021.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes added: “There is no doubt that Hannah is one of the best young goalkeepers in the world. Her performances have been improving year on year, and we have high hopes for her future with us.”
Chelsea have announced the signing of Portugal Under-21 international Diego Moreira from Benfica.
Moreira, 18, joined Benfica from Standard Liege in 2020 and was part of the side which won the 2022 UEFA Youth League.
Having made his senior debut in May 2022, Moreira featured regularly for Benfica B last season.
The teenage winger is part of Portugal’s squad at the European Under-21 Championship, where they will face England in the quarter-finals on Sunday.
Moreira’s arrival on a free transfer follows on from the signings of forwards Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal and Christopher Nkunku from RB Leipzig, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to AC Milan.
Loftus-Cheek’s departure is one of several recent outgoings as new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino reshapes his squad ahead of the start of the season.
Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz, while N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy all headed for Saudi Arabia.
The PA news agency understands that midfielder Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England international for an initial £55million.
Chelsea have announced the signing of forward Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
The 22-year-old joins the club on an eight-year deal after scoring 12 goals for the LaLiga side last season.
He began his career at Senegal Premier League side Casa Sports before moving to Villarreal in September 2019.
A successful season with the Spanish side saw him make 38 appearances in all competitions for the club and he was called up to represent Senegal at the World Cup.
Co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley told the Chelsea website: “We are excited to welcome Nicolas to Chelsea. He is a young player with big potential, as he showcased for Villarreal last season.
“We believe he is ready for this next step in his career and look forward to him working with our new head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, and his Chelsea teammates.”
Jackson’s arrival came shortly after the Blues confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek had completed a permanent move to AC Milan.
The 27-year-old joins Milan on a four-year deal running until June 2027.
His departure from Chelsea comes after 19 years with the club, having joined their academy in 2004.
He made 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times, and earned Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup winners’ medals during his time there.
An impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace also saw Loftus-Cheek selected for the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, he struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.
His move comes as part of several recent outgoings from Stamford Bridge, with N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly among those joining sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League.
Earlier this week, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joined Saudi side Al-Ahli, while Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz.
The PA news agency understands that Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England midfielder for an initial £55million.
Chelsea have confirmed that Ruben Loftus-Cheek has completed a permanent move to AC Milan.
The 27-year-old joins Milan on a four-year deal running until June 2027.
His departure from Chelsea comes after 19 years with the club, having joined their academy in 2004.
He made 155 appearances for the Blues, scoring 13 times, and earned Premier League, Europa League and UEFA Super Cup winners’ medals during his time there.
An impressive loan spell with Crystal Palace also saw Loftus-Cheek selected for the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
However, he struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.
His move comes as part of several outgoings from Stamford Bridge recently, with N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly among those joining sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League.
Earlier this week, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy joined Saudi side Al-Ahli, while Arsenal completed the signing of midfielder Kai Havertz.
The PA news agency understands that Mason Mount is also set to depart after Manchester United agreed to sign the England midfielder for an initial £55million.
Arsenal have signed Kai Havertz from Chelsea on a “long-term contract” and have reportedly moved closer to sealing a deal for West Ham captain Declan Rice.
Havertz joins after three years with the Blues, during which he made 139 appearances, scoring 32 goals, including the winner in the 2021 Champions League final.
The news regarding the 24-year-old Germany international comes as it was reported that Arsenal had also agreed a £105million fee with West Ham for Rice.
Havertz said on Arsenal’s official website: “It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family. This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
AC Milan are close to agreeing a deal to sign Reuben Loftus-Cheek from Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.
A move for the 27-year-old is yet to be finalised but the Serie A side are hopeful that it will be completed in the coming days.
It will bring to an end a near 20-year association between Chelsea and the England international, who joined the club’s academy in 2004.
He has scored 13 times in 155 appearances for the club, with 10 of those coming during the 2018-19 campaign, but struggled for game time under successive managers during the second half of last season.
He was a part of the England squad who reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The club are keen to do as much outgoing transfer business as possible before June 30 so that deals can be included in financial accounts for the 2022-23 season.
N’Golo Kante and Kalidou Koulibaly have already departed to join sides in Saudi Arabia’s Professional League, with Edouard Mendy and Hakim Ziyech expected to follow them after deals were agreed.
PA understands that Kai Havertz’s £65million move to Premier League rivals Arsenal will be announced this week, with a deal also in place for Mateo Kovacic to join champions Manchester City.
Mason Mount’s future remains in doubt, with the club so far unable to come to an agreement with Manchester United over a fee for the midfielder, who has told Chelsea he wants to leave.
Kalidou Koulibaly has left Chelsea after only one season to join Saudi Professional League side Al-Hilal.
Senegal captain Koulibaly moved to England last summer from Napoli on a four-year deal in a transfer reported to be worth £34million.
The centre-back went on to make 32 appearances for Chelsea during a difficult season, but has now departed Stamford Bridge
A club statement read: “We would like to thank Kalidou for his contributions on and off the pitch during his time at Stamford Bridge and wish him well for the next stage of his career.”
Koulibaly is not the first Chelsea player to make the move to Saudi Arabia. N’Golo Kante agreed to join Al-Ittihad on a free transfer following the expiration of his deal with the Blues.
A number of high-profile names have moved to the Saudi Professional League during the past six months.
Karim Benzema has already agreed to join Al-Ittihad after 14 seasons at Real Madrid, following Cristiano Ronaldo who moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United in December.
Wolves captain Ruben Neves has also agreed a £47m move to Al-Hilal.
After Koulibaly and Kante, Chelsea outcasts Edouard Mendy, Romelu Lukaku and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have also been linked with moves to the Gulf state.
Manchester United have made another improved bid for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, the PA news agency understands.
With Mount’s contract at Stamford Bridge set to expire next summer, United have made the England international one of their transfer targets.
After an initial bid was rebuffed last week, United returned with an offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons.
It is understood that was also rejected. United’s latest proposal, believed to be in the region of £55m, has now been received by Chelsea, but is yet to be considered.
Chelsea are reportedly holding out for higher fee, closer to £65m, but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they also need to strengthen in other areas this summer.
Completing a deal for Mount would certainly help bolster the options for United boss Erik ten Hag in a key midfield area.
Mount came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.
The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
Chelsea’s owners BlueCo have agreed to buy a stake in Ligue 1 club Strasbourg to take a significant step forwards in their plans for multi-club ownership.
The consortium, which purchased the Premier League club in May last year, are become new shareholders “subject to a consultation process with the relevant employee representative bodies”.
A statement said: “The shareholders of Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace today announced an agreement with BlueCo, the consortium which purchased Chelsea FC in May 2022.
“The agreement would mark a new chapter in Racing’s history as the ownership consortium commits to accelerate sustainable investment in the club’s growth, including in the first teams and in the Academy, in continuity with the project implemented by Marc Keller, who would remain president of the club, supported by his current management team.
“Through its involvement and recognised expertise in sport, BlueCo plans to make an active contribution to the development of the model implemented by Marc Keller, first, financially, by providing capital that will enable investment in the men’s and women’s first teams, the Academy and across the club.
“It also plans to provide Racing access to broad resources and collaboration. Racing’s teams would be able to exchange advice and expertise with Chelsea and the other teams which the owners are involved with.
“In accordance with Professional Football League regulations, the project was presented today to the Direction Nationale du Contrôle de Gestion (DNCG), whose assessment is expected in the coming weeks.”
BlueCo believe the “strategic investment” would enhance their presence in European football.
A statement said: “It is an honour for us to be part of this historic club. We are committed to preserving the heritage of Racing and are focused on working closely with Marc and his management team to continue the excellent work they have been doing.
“This strategic investment would further our presence in European football, alongside our ownership of Chelsea. We believe it would create huge opportunities to share knowledge and expertise.”
Former France international Keller, who had spells as a player with English sides West Ham, Portsmouth and Blackburn, became Racing’s president in June 2012 with the club in serious danger of liquidation.
It has since returned to Ligue 1 and established itself as a fixture, and played in the Europa League in 2019-20 after winning the League Cup.
Keller said: “The aim is to enable Racing to be even more ambitious and competitive in a football world that has changed considerably, particularly with the massive arrival of foreign investors in many French clubs and the evolution of Ligue 1 from 20 to 18 clubs.
“The arrival of the consortium should enable us to take this step forward.”
The news was confirmed as Chelsea found themselves thrust into the spotlight as a series of players, led by World Cup winner N’Golo Kante, prepare to leave the club for the riches of Saudi Arabia amid speculation that the clear-out could ease their Financial Fair Play worries.
The Blues, under chairman Todd Boehly, have invested in excess of £650million in new signings since the takeover was completed.
Manchester United have made an improved bid of up to £50million for Mason Mount as talks continue with Chelsea, the PA news agency understands.
Transfer movement has been slow at Old Trafford this summer, thanks in no small part to the Glazer family dragging their heels over a potential sale.
Despite that uncertainty, United have made a move for Chelsea attacking midfielder Mount, whose Stamford Bridge contract is due to expire next summer.
An initial bid was rebuffed last week by the west London club, who are understood to have turned their nose up at the Red Devils’ latest offer of £45million plus £5million in add-ons.
Chelsea reportedly want an extra £15m but there is a limit as to how far United are willing to go, given the player is soon out of contract and they need to strengthen in other areas this summer.
Mount would certainly help bolster a midfield that the club recognises would benefit from more options and legs, as Erik ten Hag continues to shape the side in his image.
The attacking midfielder came through the ranks at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and providing 22 assists in 129 Premier League appearances.
The 24-year-old – a Champions League winner with the Blues – has won 36 England caps and started the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
Arsenal have agreed a fee with Chelsea for the signature of Germany forward Kai Havertz.
The 24-year-old has emerged as a top target for the Gunners in recent weeks as they look to improve a squad that finished second in the Premier League last season.
The PA news agency understands a deal has now been struck between the London rivals, allowing Havertz to discuss terms and undergo a medical.
The deal is believed to top £65million including add-ons, with Havertz now likely to become Arsenal’s first signing of the season.
Having joined Chelsea from Bayer Leverkusen in 2020, Havertz has scored 19 goals in 91 Premier League appearances for the Blues and also hit the only goal of the game as they beat Manchester City to win the Champions League in 2021.
He could swiftly be followed to the Emirates Stadium by West Ham skipper Declan Rice, with Arsenal already seeing two bids turned down.
Rice has been admired in north London for some time but a club-record fee was rejected by the Hammers on Tuesday with a £90million offer not enough to strike an agreement.
Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia and Jurrien Timber of Ajax have also been linked with Arsenal this summer.
Manchester City have agreed a £30million deal with Chelsea to sign midfielder Mateo Kovacic, the PA news agency understands.
The treble winners are set to pay an initial £25million for the 29-year-old Croatia international, with a further £5million to follow in potential add-ons.
Kovacic, who joined Chelsea from Real Madrid in 2018, is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
City will now look to complete the formalities of a move with the player.
Kovacic will become City’s first signing of the summer and give manager Pep Guardiola more midfield options at a time when captain Ilkay Gundogan’s future is uncertain.
Gundogan’s contract expires at the end of this month and the Germany international has not yet agreed new terms.
Kovacic, who won the Champions League three times with Real and once with Chelsea, could be one of several summer departures from the London club as new manager Mauricio Pochettino trims his squad.
