Chelsea to bolt down Reece James and Mason Mount to new contracts
FT Desk
- 3 Sept 2022 10:48 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea were the biggest spenders in world football this summer, dropping €282 million on the likes of Wesley Fofana and Raheem Sterling, but some of their most important business is still to happen.
Todd Boehly replaced Roman Abramovich in ownership of the Blues in May, and has been good to his word of bolstering Thomas Tuchel's squad with signings in the transfer market.
Fofana's €87m arrival from Leicester will make him the most expensive defender of all time, while the Blues even managed to add Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria at the death, the pair arriving from Barcelona and Juventus respectively.
Reece on target! 👊 pic.twitter.com/2teKLjIdPo
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 15, 2022
Chelsea have let a number of academy graduates slip through their fingers in recent years, with AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori and Roma striker Tammy Abraham notable recent examples.
But it appears the West London club have learnt their lesson, with Reece James and Mason Mount set to be handed contract extensions - and significant pay rises - next week.
Future secured
"Reece James is close to signing a new long-term contract at Chelsea as the club's owners follow a summer spending spree by securing the future of homegrown players," report the Times.
"[It is understood] that the 22-year-old James is in advanced negotiations over a new deal, which is expected to be completed within days... Harvey Vale signed a three-year contract before joining Hull City on loan on deadline day, and Chelsea are keen to get Mason Mount tied down to a new long-term deal."
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Armando Broja signed a new contract with Chelsea on Friday, but the deals for James and Mount should radically improve their weekly wages.
The England international pair are among the lowest earners in the first-team squad having graduated from the academy, but since then James has become England's first-choice right-back and been linked with a move to Real Madrid, while Mount has one the club's Player of the Year award for the last two seasons.
