Manchester United have completed the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea for an initial £55m.
The overall fee for England international midfielder Mount could rise to £60m depending on success and appearances over several seasons.
The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Old Trafford that runs until the summer of 2028 and has the option to be extended by a further year.
Mount becomes United’s first summer signing and the transfer brings his 18-year association with Chelsea, during which he won the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, to an end.
Mount, who will wear United’s iconic No 7 shirt, said: “It’s never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.
Mount bid farewell to Chelsea fans in a social media video on Tuesday evening and leaves Stamford Bridge having scored 33 goals and providing 37 assists in 195 appearances in all competitions.
Manchester United football director John Murtough said: “Mason is an extremely intelligent footballer and has so many fantastic technical qualities that will significantly add to our squad.
United boss Erik ten Hag first bumped into Mount when he was Ajax head coach. On loan at Vitesse Arnhem, the-then 18-year-old’s free-kick led to his side’s third goal as they beat Ajax 3-2 in March 2018.
Ten Hag, then in charge of just his eighth game at Ajax, reportedly tried to sign Mount for the Dutch club on loan from Chelsea the following season. Fourteen goals and 10 assists in his first full campaign of senior football, largely from central midfield, had caught Ten Hag’s attention.
The deal, which is an initial £55m, is a good one for the club bearing in mind Chelsea’s starting price point was £70m, but, more than that, Mount represents exactly what Ten Hag wants in the centre of the park.
