‘Wow’: Merson staggered £70m Arsenal target could move this summer

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Paul Merson cannot believe that Chelsea could let Mason Mount leave this summer amid reports that Arsenal have held talks about signing the England international.

Merson was speaking on Soccer Saturday (broadcast on 29/4 from 12:00) about the situation going on at Chelsea right now. The Blues probably cannot wait for this season to end, with Frank Lampard’s men just 10 points above the relegation zone.

They have lost every game under Lampard. And it appears that another very busy summer is required at Stamford Bridge.

Merson shocked Mount could leave Chelsea

Right now, the squad has too many players and no balance. And with that, the club would surely love to move on a number of their players.

Unfortunately for Chelsea fans, one of those who could end up leaving is Mason Mount. The 24-year-old is out of contract at the end of next season. And he is attracting a lot of attention, with the Blues ready to sell this summer if he is not going to sign a new deal.

In fact, one of the teams holding talks about a move for Mount is Arsenal. It would be quite a statement if Mikel Arteta’s men could bring him in this summer.

But Paul Merson has admitted that he is staggered that Mount may be the player to leave Chelsea as they look to trim the squad.

“For me, you’ve got to keep Mason Mount straight away,” he told Soccer Saturday. “Mason Mount looks like he’s going be the one going and you’re like: ‘wow!’ Alright, he hasn’t been great this season. He’s had an injury and he isn’t playing this season because of his injury. But he was one of their standout players last year. He was one of England’s best players.”

There is no doubt that Mount’s contract situation is the only reason his future has a question mark over it. Surely, there is absolutely no chance that Chelsea would consider a sale otherwise.

But it has been a miserable campaign. And offloading some of their players is probably not going to be easy. So losing Mount on a free probably is not an option.

It would be a shock if anyone got close to Chelsea’s reported £70 million asking price. But his admirers will probably be confident that that price will drop if he makes it clear that he is ready to leave.

It is definitely going to be fascinating to keep an eye on the situation this summer.