Manchester United’s summer activity has come to a standstill with the ongoing takeover tussle remaining centre stage.

As the saga of who will buy the Red Devils enters into its ninth month, Manchester United fans are rightly disappointed, aggrieved and downright upset with how their club is being so publicly mistreated.

With the ownership remaining unclear going into the summer transfer window, it makes the Red Devils’ current management fight tooth and nail for every dollar they can muster up and spend on player recruitment.

One player, who Erik Ten Hag has named a priority signing, is Chelsea’s Mason Mount. The North West club have submitted three offers, with the latest one reaching £50 million plus £5 million add-ons, but have all been rejected by the Todd Boehly and co.

The England international is actively pushing for the deal to be made after, once again, reiterating his desire to not only leave the club, but if he were to be forced to stay past this summer, he would have no intention to sign a new contract before his current one runs out in June 2024.

Chelsea have a major decision to make: either potentially lose one of their academy-produced stars for free, or cash in on him now and make a £50m profit on Mount which will help ease any financial fair play pressures that are coming their way.

Ten Hag had mentioned towards the end of last season that he is not yet able to play the way he expects his teams to on a regular basis. That way is more possession-dominant with two number eights either side of Casemiro. The plan is for Mount to be brought in to occupy one of the eight roles as well as Bruno Fernandes.

The Chelsea playmaker has endured a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge in the past 12 months, playing under three different managers in one season, but there is no denying the quality he possesses and how much he could potentially achieve in the game.

At only 24, Manchester United know that signing Mount now will guarantee his prime years being played at Old Trafford. With already having won the Champions League, Mount brings experience, knowhow and quality into the midfield area where Manchester United need reinforcement.

If Ten Hag’s team can get the deal done for just over £50 million, then both sides should walk away smiling. It is a sizeable figure for a player who has just one year left on his contract, but the Red Devils know that they will face stiff competition come January when Mount is able and willing to sign a pre-contract with the whole of Europe.

Time will tell whether Ten Hag gets his man in the door, but it is clear that the Dutch manager is pushing hard for Mount and receiving positive signals from the player himself.