Mason Mount has admitted he 'fell in love' at Old Trafford with Man Utd ready to bid £55m for Chelsea star

Chelsea star Mason Mount has previously admitted that he 'fell in love' at Old Trafford as Manchester United prepare to launch a bid for his services.

The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday morning that United were planning a £55 million bid to sign the 24-year-old England international, whose Chelsea contract expires this summer.

The report adds that the sum falls below the Blues' valuation, which is around £85 million, but that United could increase their bid in their attempts to secure the midfielder's signature.

Liverpool are also interested in Mount, while a reunion with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich also appears to be another option.

The midfielder would add another goalscoring option for Erik ten Hag, who is keen to reduce the burden on Marcus Rashford at Old Trafford. Rashford has netted 29 goals in all competitions this season.

And previous quotes have re-emerged, in which Mount recalls 'falling in love' with the footballing technique of a Manchester United legend at Old Trafford.

Mount admits Old Trafford 'love'

Speaking to Amazon Prime after a game between Chelsea and United in April 2022, Mount - a Portsmouth fan - explained how he went to watch Pompey take on Sir Alex Ferguson's side at Old Trafford in January 2008.

Back then, Portsmouth had the likes of Arsenal legends Lauren and Sol Campbell, future Real Madrid star Lassana Diarra and ex-Liverpool forward Milan Baros in their side - but it wasn't enough to defeat United.

The 2008 FA Cup winners fell to a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring both goals inside 13 minutes.

One of his goals is much more memorable than the other, with Ronaldo netting a stunning free kick from distance into the top right corner, beyond goalkeeper David James.

Mount explained (quotes via Manchester Evening News): "I think everyone has seen the video of when I was younger basing my free-kick off him [Ronaldo]. I always watched him very closely when he was at United as a young kid. I loved the way he played, his free-kicks.

"I'm a massive Pompey fan, so I went to the game when they played at Old Trafford and he scored that free-kick against David James.

"I was actually at the game, in the corner, so I saw it first-hand and I think after that I kind of fell in love with the technique and what he'd done, and him as a player."