Erik ten Hag makes Man United transfer admission amid Mason Mount interest

Erik ten Hag discussed the importance of Champions League football following Manchester United’s reported interest in Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount.

Mount, 24, is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and looks unlikely to remain at his boyhood club. The latest reports from David Ornstein of The Athletic say Mount’s preferred move is to Old Trafford.

United are in need of several reinforcements in the upcoming transfer window. Mount, who is valued between £60-85 million, would bolster the engine room. However, deals for a striker, goalkeeper and a deeper midfielder should also be considered essential for the club which sits fourth in the Premier League table.

Despite being able to convince the likes of Casemiro and Antony to join the club last summer while United were in the Europa League, Ten Hag believes that the club being in the Champions League will benefit them in the transfer window.

“We want to compete with the best and then you have to be in the Champions League,” he explained to reporters. “In the Premier League, you have to qualify yourself to be in the top four and that is not easy because there are many [clubs] competing for it. Many think they should be in and so yeah, we are one of them.”

United now require a single point from their remaining two fixtures to secure a place in next season’s Champions League campaign. They face Chelsea on Thursday evening at Old Trafford before hosting Fulham three days later.

After the much-anticipated FA Cup final clash against Manchester City in less than two weeks time, United will be putting all of their attention towards improving their squad. Whilst rumours are floating around currently, Ten Hag is not eager to communicate with the media until there are significant developments regarding transfers.

‘Asked about the reported interest in Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, Ten Hag simply responded: “When we have news, we will tell you.”

Reports from the Daily Mail have detailed that the Reds boss wants to complete a deal for Mount quickly and adds that United are willing to increase their £55 million valuation of the England international because of the support the potential deal has from the Dutch manager.