Manchester United remain convinced that Mason Mount wishes to join them from Chelsea, but are reluctant to pay over the odds, according to BBC Sport’s Simon Stone.
The Red Devils have already made three bids for the England international. Their latest offer of £50 million plus £5m in add-ons was rejected last week.
Chelsea are eyeing £57m plus £8m in add-ons to sell the 24-year-old, but United are reluctant to meet the demands of the west London outfit.
Over the years, United have built a reputation of paying higher fees on players after prolonged talks.
This has been described as a ‘United tax’. The Red Devils are aware of the same, and are adamant that they won’t pay the asking price for Mount.
United believe their offer for Mount is a fair one, considering Chelsea signed Raheem Sterling from Manchester City for only £50m last summer.
The Blues are currently trying to play mind games with United by adding an additional fee, but this could go on to disrupt their own transfer plans.
United could make an offer of their own for Chelsea target Moises Caicedo. The Ecuadorian star is one of the alternatives for the Red Devils.
Man Utd looking for quick response over Mount
United have been guilty of making huge outlays on key targets. Last summer, they ended up paying £85m to sign Antony from Ajax before the transfer deadline.
The hierarchy are keen to avoid the same mistake. The club currently value Mount at £55m, and they have refused to increase their proposal for the midfielder.
The onus is now on the Blues to reconsider the offer. There is a possibility that they could accept the fee, considering his contract expires in 12 months’ time.
In case they don’t change their stance, United could decide to hijack the Blues’ pursuit of Caicedo.
The 21-year-old is a boyhood United fan and could be tempted to move to Old Trafford with the opportunity to play in the Champions League next term.
Mount is the preferred target for manager Erik ten Hag, but the Dutch tactician is prepared to explore alternatives if a deal does not materialise with the Blues.
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