Mason Mount’s next club decision should be crystal clear amid Man Utd and Liverpool interest

The bidding war has begun at long last – Manchester United have offered £40m to Chelsea for the services of England international Mason Mount, the Blues have rejected it out of hand, and so the nonsense can begin in earnest.

United will inevitably up their bid and there will be the usual amount of back and forth as various newspapers and ‘ITK’ basement Twitter accounts prematurely announce the deal done or dead, but the really interesting question is whether any of the other clubs linked with Mount will get involved and really ramp the bidding up a notch.

The 24-year-old will have at least two options for the next step in his career – stay or go – but may end up with a few more. So what should he do? Today we look at four places Mount might find himself playing next season and adjudge how he’d fit in and how well the move would be likely to go…

Manchester United

Let’s start at the top – Manchester United are the keenest of the clubs connection to Mount and are by far the most likely option as it stands. The really interesting question is precisely where they envisage playing him should they pull the deal off.

Mount has played right across the attacking midfield line, so presumably seen as a plug-and-play option for any role he’s needed in, but you wonder if the main objective is to play him wide left as support for Marcus Rashford (who we’ve previously suggested may be even better suited to that role himself) – or, perhaps, as a right-sided winger to displace the perpetually frustrating Antony. Arguably his best position, the number ten role, is largely spoken for by Bruno Fernandes.

And that’s the only real wrinkle here for Mount – would he be happy to rotate around the various positions, or would he prefer to play every game possible in the position he’s best at? There’s no argument that, on current evidence, Manchester United can offer more chance of silverware than Chelsea, but there may just be the risk of him being passed around the positions so much that he doesn’t get the chance to focus in on one role – potentially helpful psychologically, for his chances of becoming the best player he can, and for nailing down a spot in the international side.

Of course, he may not care too much and just want to make sure he plays in the Champions League.

Liverpool

No bid has yet arrived from Anfield, but the paper talk still has Jürgen Klopp’s side firmly linked with Mount – even if the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister makes it perhaps a little less likely that they want to splash big money on another attacking midfielder.

Much like with Manchester United, there’s an interesting tactical discussion to be had about where Klopp thinks Mount should play – having spent several very productive years with an extremely stable front line, Liverpool still haven’t really worked out exactly how to play without Sadio Mané (never mind Roberto Firmino), so it’s hard to say where Mount might fit in. Cody Gakpo has recently come in to the side and flitted about between the positions, and the same fate could easily befall Mount if he moved to Merseyside.

So from Mount’s perspective – and barring a convincing sales pitch from a certain charismatic German – he could be choosing between two big clubs with a reasonable chance of success in the immediate future, neither of whom could offer him a clearly defined role within the team, but one of them is in the Champions League. Let’s be honest, that probably makes the decision fairly easy if it comes down to it. Klopp better have a pretty good PowerPoint presentation ready to go.

Newcastle United

A quick mention here for a team whose name hasn’t been linked with Mount as much of late – no doubt in part thanks to the increasingly credible rumour that the Magpies are closing in on a deal for Nicolò Barella.

Newcastle obviously offer the allure of a burgeoning new project which has already had short-term success, Champions League football next term and the nightlife of the Bigg Market. Although honestly, does Mount seem the type to be found topless outside Popworld at 4am? Jury’s out.

What they can offer is a pretty clear-cut role – they need a number ten, and Mount would be the undisputed creative hub of the club, the attack built around his talents rather than him slotting into a more established system. If he wants to be the main man, Newcastle can offer that. He doesn’t seem to be cursed with too much of an ego, mind you, and in any case – this rumour seems to have cooled. For now.

Chelsea

Mount could, of course, stay at Chelsea. Become a club legend. Be one of the focal points of the rebuild under a new coach in Mauricio Pochettino who has a track record of playing exciting football and generating a great dressing room atmosphere.

The question is whether Mount – or anyone else – really believes that Chelsea can turn it around right away and get back into the top four next season. Mount has plenty of years ahead of him, but why waste several of his prime at a club which can’t compete for trophies? If he is to stay, it will be because he has been convinced that Chelsea will be back at the top table very soon indeed.

But Chelsea have stumbled so hard, and fallen so far, that it feels like a pretty wild leap of the imagination to picture them celebrating qualification for the Champions League next campaign, or lifting any shiny bits of silver above their heads at Wembley in the next couple of years. If Klopp needs to put a good presentation together, then Todd Boehly needs something truly spectacular.

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It doesn’t look much like Mount will be lining up at Stamford Bridge next season – and when you weigh up the alternatives, it seems pretty clear that, for all the intriguing tactical queries thrown up, Manchester United is surely his best move.