Conte a fan of Mason Mount amid surprise Tottenham links

By Jordan Harris

Reports on Thursday have suggested that Tottenham Hotspur are one of the clubs monitoring the situation of Mason Mount at Chelsea.

Mason Mount’s future looks far from certain. He previously appeared to be an absolutely vital member of the Chelsea side. However, he may well be sold this summer.

The Athletic reported that the Blues will cash in if he decides that he will not sign a new contract. His current deal expires at the end of the next campaign.

Chelsea want £70 million for the England international. And Spurs are one of the teams who are monitoring Mount’s situation.

Of course, it is incredibly hard to see the 24-year-old joining Tottenham. But it appears that they have put themselves in the race to secure his signature.

Conte an admirer of Mason Mount amid Tottenham links

Mount’s ability is certainly not a secret. He has played nearly 200 times for Chelsea. But it seems that some have been aware of his quality for a lot longer.

And one of those who have had Mount on the radar for some time is, funnily enough, Antonio Conte.

Former Chelsea under-23 boss Adi Viveash once told BBC Sport that Mount really caught his eye when the Italian watched an under-23 game involving the then-17-year-old.

“You could see the first-team players trusted him because he’s so good on the ball,” he told BBC Sport. “The first thing you notice is that they’re not afraid to give it him all the time.

“I know Antonio was very impressed with him after that game. That was probably a moment the recognition got gained. They started to ask for him if they needed a midfield player. It made an impression on them.”

Conte certainly made a big statement on his way out of Tottenham. Many supporters agreed with a lot of what he said in his explosive press conference after the draw with Southampton.

And you have to wonder if that will have an impact on the Tottenham hierarchy. Surely, they cannot afford for another manager to have the same complaints the likes of Conte and Mauricio Pochettino have had.

Something has to change. And that may include making some bigger statements in the transfer market.

It is still hard to see Tottenham signing Mount.

But perhaps Conte’s parting gift will be to force the club to target big names – such as the one he rated extremely highly almost from the first moment he saw him.