Arsenal emerge as surprise but ‘strong’ contenders for £70m-rated Liverpool transfer target

Arsenal have emerged as strong rivals to Liverpool for the signing of Chelsea’s Mason Mount.

The midfielder has been a key player for the London side since breaking into the first team in 2019 and has been integral to their Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Championship successes.

However, despite being the club’s player of the year in back-to-back seasons (2020/21 & 2021/22) he’s currently locked in a dispute with the club over a new deal - as his current contract is set to expire next year.

This has opened the door to a potential exit and the 24-year-old is a midfielder has been linked with Liverpool in recent months.

Speaking in his column on the Athletic, the highly-reputable David Ornstein has revealed the status of Arsenal’s targets and revealed what their thinking is behind their midfield targets and how serious their interest is in Mount.

He said: “Arteta has publicly admitted Arsenal must “absolutely nail” their summer recruitment as they look to build on this season’s progress and prepare for the return of Champions League football.

“They also want to add creativity in a more advanced position and that has fuelled the pursuit of Mason Mount — although there is strong competition from Liverpool and Manchester United, while Chelsea will make a final push to extend his terms, which are scheduled to expire in 2024.

“Arsenal are determined to sign the England internationals (both 24) and may require an additional player in that department if Granit Xhaka exits, with Bayer Leverkusen in talks to recruit the Swiss.”

A poor collective season from Chelsea has seen Mount struggle, as he’s also had to deal with niggling injury issues on top of that. But he’s still registered three goals and six assists across all competitions.

With Liverpool looking to replace the outgoing trio of James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita, it’s highly likely we will see some midfield arrivals this summer.