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Manchester United closing in on another surprise signing ahead of Man City final
Manchester United tackle Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, with Mason Mount likely to tune into the contest from afar.
Erik ten Hag reviews Man Utd's win against Fulham
Ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup final showdown with Manchester City, talk of Mason Mount moving to Old Trafford is gathering momentum. The Chelsea star had previously been expected to leave Stamford Bridge for Liverpool, with Arsenal also linked. But he now looks increasingly set to become the club’s latest surprise signing in recent years…
Manchester United have reportedly agreed personal terms with Mount, who looked emotional after Chelsea’s final Premier League match of the season against Newcastle last weekend.
And all they need to do now is agree a fee with their rivals.
Liverpool had previously been considered the frontrunners to sign Mount, with Chelsea resigned to losing their academy graduate.
But, somewhat surprisingly, United now seem to have stolen a march.
Mount is poised to become the latest shock signing for the club, in keeping with what has become a tradition over the past few years.
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Take last year, for example.
United were constantly linked with Frenkie de Jong, with Erik ten Hag driving his side’s pursuit of a player he’d previously coached at Ajax.
Adrien Rabiot then became a target, only for the midfielder to stay at Juventus despite a fee being agreed.
But, out of the blue, Casemiro then arrived instead with United doing their homework on the Brazil international behind the scenes.
It was a development few had seen coming, with the Samba star a key player for Real Madrid during his stint at the Bernabeu.
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In 2021, it was open secret that United were going to give their all to secure the signings of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
However, towards the end of the transfer window, the biggest surprise signing of them all arrived.
Cristiano Ronaldo had been expected to leave Juventus for Manchester City, who were prepared to make the Portugal international their No 1 target.
Yet United, knowing they couldn’t afford to see the veteran move across town, intervened to bring the forward home.
A year earlier, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had hoped to sign Sancho.
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Yet late in the window, when it became clear a deal couldn’t be struck, Edinson Cavani touched down in Manchester instead.
United could have signed the Uruguay international earlier, with the striker spending several months as a free agent following his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.
So that made it even more shocking when Cavani signed on the dotted line.
In 2019, Sancho was again Solskjaer’s priority transfer target.
But the Red Devils astonished their fans by snapping up Daniel James from Swansea, with the Wales international previously expected to move to Leeds.
Fast-forward to now and it appears history is set to repeat itself.
Mount could tune in on Sunday like the rest of the world to watch arguably the biggest derby in history.
And whether he’s about to join a United side with two trophies in the locker, instead of just one, remains to be seen.