Manchester United 'to hold Mason Mount talks with Chelsea within 24 hours'

Red Devils head coach Erik ten Hag has seemingly identified the England international as his leading midfield target for this summer's transfer window.

The 20-time English champions have thus far been frustrated in their attempts to sign Mount, though, with Chelsea rejecting Man United's last offer, believed to be in the region of £55m.

The club's bid for the Englishman is said to remain on the table, and they will not meet Chelsea's valuation of £65m for a player who only has 12 months left to run on his contract.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, there will be discussions between the two clubs over the next 24 hours, with Man United still hopeful of getting a deal done for £55m.

"Manchester United and Chelsea are set to make final decision on Mason Mount deal as direct contacts will take place within 24 hours, as revealed yesterday," Romano posted on Twitter.

"Understand will be face-to-face contact and Man Utd will be clear once again: they want to get it done for £55m."

Mount found it difficult to show his best form for Chelsea last season, only scoring three goals in 35 appearances, in addition to registering six assists.

The Englishman missed the end of the campaign following a pelvic operation, though, and it was a turbulent season for the Blues, who finished down in 12th position in the Premier League table.

According to The Telegraph, Man United are willing to negotiate around the structure of their £55m offer for Mount, which could potentially see Chelsea receive more money upfront.

The attacker is due to report for pre-season training at Chelsea next week, but it is understood that an agreement could be reached in the coming days, which could see him begin his pre-season training programme at Man United.

Mount is thought to be willing to hold talks with incoming Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, but he still wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer for Man United.

Red Devils head coach Ten Hag is believed to view the Englishman as the ideal player to operate in a midfield three alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes.

Mount has represented Chelsea on 195 occasions in all competitions since debuting in 2017, scoring 33 goals and registering 37 assists in the process.