Arsenal target agrees personal terms with Manchester United

United are yet to agree a fee with Chelsea, but talks have progressed positively in recent days and Erik ten Hag is pushing his club’s hierarchy to get the deal done.

Arsenal and Liverpool were also interested in signing Mount, and his apparent decision to join United is described as a “serious blow for Jurgen Klopp, in particular”.

It’s no surprise that United are leading the race, following The Athletic’s recent report that if Mount leaves Chelsea this summer, he favours a move to Old Trafford over the alternatives.

At that time, United were planning a £55m bid for Mount, but Chelsea reportedly wanted significantly more than that. The Blues were looking for £85m to sell.

It doesn’t seem particularly likely that Arsenal would be willing to meet those demands anyway.

The Gunners have big plans for the summer window, and using up such a huge chunk of their budget on Mount would be pretty prohibitive when it comes to chasing key targets like Declan Rice.

Mount is a 24-year-old established Premier League player and England international preparing to enter his peak years, but he’s also on a deal only lasting until 2024 and refusing to extend.

To pay £85m for one year of a player’s contract is a high price.

David Ornstein of The Athletic has reported repeatedly that there’s a sense around Arsenal that a creative midfield addition is necessary this summer.

Mount is one of the options on the list, as well as the likes of Mohammed Kudus of Ajax.

If Chelsea are holding out for a ridiculous price and United are Mount’s preferred destination anyway, Arsenal may want to look to their other targets.