‘Will sell’ — Liverpool handed boost in their pursuit to sign £70m-valued midfield target

Chelsea will welcome offers for Mason Mount this summer if they are unable to tie him down with a new contract, leaving the door wide open for Liverpool to swoop in.

According to Football Insider, the Blues “will sell” the Englishman in order to avoid losing him for free next year. Mount is entering the last year of his current contract and so far, talks over new terms have been unsuccessful.

New boss Mauricio Pochettino is planning to sit down with the 24-year-old to try to convince him to stay at Stamford Bridge, but Mount’s gripes remain with his salary. The midfielder has been asking for parity with Chelsea’s top-earning players, but Pochettino will have no influence over what kind of money the club are willing to offer for a new deal.

Chelsea are also eager to recoup some of the money they have spent on transfers this season. Signing Enzo Fernandez alone cost the Blues a staggering £106.8 million — a new British record. Mount is currently valued by Transfermarkt at €65 million (£56m) and Liverpool are certainly looking to splash the cash on new midfielders.

Jurgen Klopp has his eye on the Chelsea man but there are also other options to explore when the transfer window opens. After talks with Jude Bellingham fizzled out, the Reds have been linked to a few names, including the highly sought-after Mount.

Talks with Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister remain ongoing and Liverpool are also still interested in acquiring Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich. As well as those they are looking to bring in, the Reds are prepared to say goodbye to three of their own this summer.

James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta are all set to leave Anfield when their contracts expire next month. Fabio Carvalho has also been given the green light to pursue a move away, if he so wishes, leaving a lot of space to recruit new personnel.