Mason Mount could very well end the summer transfer window as a Manchester United player.
The Red Devils have been courting the midfielder for a few weeks now but have so far fallen short of Chelsea's asking price with two previous offers.
However, 90min understands Man Utd will lodge a third bid for Mount. This fresh offer will include a fee that could reach £60m and there is optimism an agreement is on the horizon.
Erik ten Hag has long admired Mount from their respective days in the Dutch Eredivisie and the two may soon link up at Old Trafford.
Here is how Mount may be utilised if he completes a move to Man Utd.
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Mount in a pivot
Mount shares quite a few similarities with current Man Utd midfielder Christian Eriksen, who spent much of his debut season at Old Trafford partnering Casemiro.
It took some time for Eriksen to adjust to this deeper role - he was notably pickpocketed for the second goal in Man Utd's 4-0 loss at Brentford on the second weekend of the 2022/23 season - but he quickly adapted and became a useful cog in Ten Hag's machine.
If Mount is to start, it's plausible he's seen as a long-term successor to 31-year-old Eriksen, who looked as though he was on his last legs at the back end of the campaign.
Again, this would require some time to get up to speed in the Premier League as it's a role Mount hasn't played at this level, but if Casemiro is alongside him that task should be easier.
Potential lineups:
Casemiro - Mount
McTominay - Mount
Mount as the number 10
This is the first of a two-part explanation of how Mount and Bruno Fernandes can co-exist.
Mount's natural position is the number 10 role, which is the same as Man Utd's star player in Fernandes.
There were times last season where Ten Hag shifted the Portugal international out to the wing in order to fit someone else into the side - this was usually Wout Weghorst or Marcel Sabitzer.
Mount represents an upgrade on both of those options and so it's possible he would actually get to play his preferred role in Manchester.
Potential lineups:
Fernandes - Mount - Rashford
Fernandes - Mount - Sancho
Antony - Mount - Fernandes
Mount on the wing
Like Fernandes, Mount has also had experience as a wide playmaker coming in from the channels.
Should Ten Hag prefer to keep Fernandes through the middle, then Mount would serve as an ideal option to play on the wing.
In fact, Mount's ability to play on the right could solve their problems in that position following Antony's disappointing debut season and Jadon Sancho's continued lack of progress.
Potential lineups:
Mount - Fernandes - Rashford
Mount - Fernandes - Sancho
Antony - Fernandes - Mount
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Man Utd could line up with Mason Mount.
