04 July 2023 , 19:14
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Mason Mount has confirmed he has left Chelsea ahead of his £60m move to Manchester United.
In a message on his Instagram account, Mount, 24, explained his decision to leave the Blues, where he had been in the club's academy from the age of six.
"Hi Chelsea fans," he said.
"Given the speculation over the last six months, this may not come as a surprise to you. But it doesn’t make it any easier to tell you that I’ve made the decision to leave Chelsea.
"I felt you deserve more than just a written statement so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I’ve been for all of your support over the last 18 years. I know some of you won’t be happy with my decision, but it’s what’s right for me at this moment in my career.
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"I joined Chelsea when I was six years old and we’ve been through a lot together. Winning the Youth Cup, my Player of the Year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.
"I want to say thank you to the academy, Jim (Fraser) and Neil (Bath) for being so influential to me from such a young age. The managers I’ve worked under, Frank (Lampard), Thomas (Tuchel) and Graham (Potter). The backroom staff, the unsung heroes of Cobham, all my teammates over the years that have become my brothers, my family for the continuous love and support, and most importantly, you guys for sticking with me throughout. Wish you all the best."
Mason Mount was at Chelsea from the age of six (Getty Images)The 24-year-old will sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford with a club option of a further year. He will earn around £250,000-a-week at the Red Devils, potentially rising to £300,000-a-week depending on performances. It's a gigantic wage increase for the England international, who was pocketing £80,000-a-week at Chelsea.
Mount, whose deal comprises of £55m up front and £5m of add-ons, will now be focused on getting back to his best under Erik ten Hag after a bitterly disappointing season at Chelsea. He registered just three goals and six assists in 35 appearances as the Blues failed to win a major trophy and finished 12th in the Premier League - their lowest final position for 18 years.
However, Mount no doubt has the quality to improve the United midfield and take them to the next level as they prepare to return to the Champions League. The Red Devils finished third last term and also won the Carabao Cup in a highly successful first season for Ten Hag.
The transfer brings to an end Mount's 18-year association with Chelsea. He progressed through the youth system at Stamford Bridge, before going out on loan to Vitesse in 2017. It was a move that paid off as Mount struck 14 times in 39 appearances for the Eredivisie side.
Having returned to Chelsea for pre-season in summer 2018, Mount was almost immediately sent back out on loan for the next step of his career. This time, it was to Championship promotion hopefuls Derby, who had just confirmed the appointment of Blues legend Frank Lampard as their new manager.
Mount impressed on loan at Derby (Getty Images)Lampard signed Harry Wilson, Fikayo Tomori and Mount amongst others as part of his mini-rebuild at the Rams as he tried to guide them to the Premier League for the first time in over a decade. Although Derby narrowly missed out by losing in the play-off final to Aston Villa, it proved to be a successful campaign all-round for the Rams as they defied expectations with a relatively inexperienced squad.
As for Mount, he scored 11 goals and provided six assists during his season-long loan spell at Pride Park. Upon his return to Chelsea in 2019, the midfielder was buoyed by the news that Lampard would be confirmed as Chelsea's new boss following the departure of Maurizio Sarri.
Lampard ended up keeping Mount at Chelsea and handing him a deserved chance in the first-team, with the club placed in a temporary transfer embargo. Mount would end up impressing for the Blues and played a key role as they qualified for the Champions League, with the midfielder scoring a free-kick on the final day of the Covid-hit 2019/20 campaign against Wolves.
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Mason Mount scored 33 goals for Chelsea (Getty Images)Mount went on to further improve his game in the following season and also shone under Thomas Tuchel after he was appointed in January 2021. Mount grabbed the assist for Kai Havertz's strike in the Champions League final as the Blues beat Manchester City 1-0 to win Europe's elite club competition for the second time.
Having claimed the Blues' Player of the Year for the first time, Mount took his form into the 2021/22 season and further illustrated why he was being rated so highly. Mount recorded his most prolific tally in the Premier League with 11 in total as Chelsea finished third.
Although the most recent campaign proved to be a struggle for Mount, who suffered with fitness and injury related issues throughout, he is still yet to hit his prime age and can offer plenty to the United side this season. After also missing out on England duty last month,
Mount is set to start pre-season training straight away with the rest of his new teammates, with a pre-season tour to the United States on the horizon.