Transfer News: Contract standoffs might cost Chelsea youngsters like Reece James and Mason Mount
According to Goal (h/t Daily Express), the inability to give out contracts to their star players could cause problems for Chelsea in keeping academy graduates such as Reece James and Mason Mount.
After the UK Government’s sanctions on Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea board has found itself in a troublesome situation. Their day-to-day activities have been hampered, resulting in a break-up in communication with star players of the squad.
Antonio Rudiger has been under the spotlight due to his contract standoff with the Chelsea board. Now, it seems the German international is set to leave the club to join Real Madrid in the summer. If that was heartbreaking news for the Blues faithful, they would be even more worried after hearing that the club risks losing other stars due to their inability to open contract negotiations right now.
Rudiger’s defensive partner Andreas Christensen is also set to move away from Chelsea and is believed to be closing in on a deal with Barcelona. Due to the sanctions, they have become unable to present new contracts to available players, and they can’t bring reinforcements either.
Chelsea’s rivals have been tracking the situation very closely and are believed to be making contact with star players in order to lure them away from the club. The rivals are apparently ‘sniffing’ around the players asking if they would be interested in running down their contracts in an attempt to secure a better deal.
Two such players who have come onto the radar of interested clubs are Reece James and Mason Mount. They both have a contract until 2025. Real Madrid are interested in James and are eyeing a deal for him in the summer of 2023.
How can Chelsea block opponents’ interests?
These academy stars have been stand-out performers in the current season. As things stand, they could become future legends of the club. Hence, the Blues wouldn’t want to lose such talented homegrown players considering Mount is arguably one of our most reliable links between midfield and attack while James is handling a bulk of the creative workload down the right-hand side.
Even though the situation hasn’t gotten out of hand, Rudiger and Christensen’s potential departures serve as a reminder as to why the club should try and sort out deals before these players approach the final years of their contract.
The priority of the club would certainly be to officially confirm a change in ownership and it seems like they are moving in the right direction regarding that. According to The Telegraph (Subscription Required) as covered by ASBTF, Todd Boehly has won the race to become Chelsea owner despite a late bid from Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The club would be smart to keep an effective line of communication with all the players of the first-team squad. By understanding their concerns and future goals, they would be able to form better relationships with them.
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Even before the sanctions were placed, there wasn’t really a lot of movement this season regarding contract renewals. The likes of Mount and James understand what it means for Chelsea. They are loved by the fans and have really found a loving home for themselves at Stamford Bridge.
It seems very hard to imagine that they can be prised away from Chelsea, but in football, anything can happen. And that is why the club and the board must remain on its toes when it comes to players and their contract situations.