Arsenal urged to avoid signing Chelsea man Mount as three Gunners stars would start ahead of him

Arsenal have been told that they should avoid signing Chelsea man Mason Mount as three of their current players would start ahead of the Englishman.

Mount is being linked with a move away from Chelsea ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

Liverpool are known to admire the England international. They are looking at him as a potential signing to come in alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.

Should he become available, Liverpool are likely to face competition in the race to sign Mount,

Arsenal are also in the market for a new midfielder. West Ham’s Declan Rice and Brighton’s Moises Caicedo are among the players they are being linked with.

Ex-Gunners defender Bacary Sagna has warned his former club that they should avoid signing Mount as the Chelsea man would not have the “mental qualities to come to and sit on the bench”.

The Frenchman feels that Mount would not “get in ahead of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard or Gabriel Martinelli”.

“I don’t see him playing ahead of any of the players in Arsenal’s starting eleven,” Sagna told The Games Cabin.

“I think he would purely be an addition and I don’t see him getting ahead of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard or Gabriel Martinelli. I believe that Martinelli has more speed and more creativity and I don’t believe buying a player like Mason [Mount] and putting him on the bench would be a good decision for the club.

“They need to be smart and they need to bring in players that are content with sitting on the bench sometimes and being happy to share the time amongst the other players in their position.

“That’s what Manchester City do, but I’ve been at Manchester City and it wasn’t always easy wanting to play and being stuck on the bench. Does Mason have the mental qualities to come to Arsenal and sit on the bench? I’m not sure because I’m sure he’d want to play every week.”

Arsenal and Chelsea were both in the market to sign Raphinha last summer before the Brazil international joined FC Barcelona.

His first season at the La Liga giants has not gone to plan as he has been in and out of the team. Sagna adds that signing Raphinha should no longer “be a priority” for Arsenal.

“On the left side, you have Gabriel Martinelli who’s still developing as a player, so I don’t think signing Raphinha would be a priority for the club.”