Fact Check: Why Chelsea were keen to sell Mason Mount despite rejecting Man United bid earlier

The midfielder is reportedly set to leave Stamford Bridge as the Blues accepted a fee for him from Manchester United. Mount, a Chelsea Academy product, thus will be a Red Devil soon.

But the transfer was not looking concrete at all even a couple of days ago. Chelsea had rejected Man United’s £55 million worth third bid, but now has accepted one which offers an extra £5 million in add-ons.

It came as a surprise to many as Chelsea, who were initially demanding north of 65 million for Mount, conceded the player so early in the transfer window. But in the hindsight, there are monumental reasons why Chelsea may let go of 5 million.

Why Chelsea were keen to sell Mason Mount by June 30?

June 30 is a date which has started to hold a lot of significance in football business. The final day of June, which will be today (Friday, June 30), is the last opportunity for clubs to enhance their account by sanctioning player sales.

With the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rule, the onus is on Chelsea to balance their books ahead of the end of the month. With more than £200 million spent last summer, the London club know the eyes are on them and is thus super keen to nullify the raised eyebrows.

In the last five days, Chelsea brought in around £120 million with four sales, and all of them high-profile first team players. With Mount’s departure, the income only increases and the FFP pressure decreases.

Chelsea big players leaving in last week

Kalidou Koulibaly to Al Hilal – £20m

Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City – £25m

Edouard Mendy to Al Ahli – £16m

Kai Havertz to Arsenal – £62m

Mason Mount was also entering the last season of his contract. The England midfielder has been highly underpaid at the London club and was reluctant to pen a new deal. Chelsea’s new bosses Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have taken a policy of not letting players run out of their contracts, hence it was an easy pick.