Man United recently submitted a £60m transfer bid for Bryan Mbuemo. While Mason Mount is putting on a faux confident persona, it only means one thing for him.
In the Europa League final, which Man United fans are forgiven for wanting to forget all about, Ruben Amorim gave a shot to Mason Mount. This came at the tailend of an injury-ridden season for the former Chelsea midfielder.
Amorim has never bad-mouthed Mount and the same can be said vice versa. Therefore, it's a healthy working relationship, and it's all sunshine and rainbows, right?
Wrong. Man United's recent transfer activity should spell trouble for Mason Mount.
The writing's on the wall for Mason Mount
According to a report from Simon Stone of BBC Sport, Man United has submitted a £60m bid to sign Bryan Mbuemo from Brentford. Having already signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves, Ruben Amorim isn't playing with his attacking options.
What's more, is that Bryan Mbuemo seemingly prefers a move to Man United over Spurs, which greatly weighs in favour of the Red Devils.
Which, at face value, suggests the writing's on the wall for Mason Mount. He severely underperformed last season and frankly, has failed to live up to the expectation set of him when he first moved to Old Trafford.
Of course, context is important, but it's taken with a pinch of salt given the desperacy of Man United's position. Granted, Mason Mount spent most of the season injured, but even when he was fit, he didn't do much to set the world alight.
One Premier League goal in 17 appearances paints a vulgar picture.
Man United might welcome Mount vs Mbuemo competition
All that being said, Mason Mount refuses to roll over. The England international hasn't expressed a desire to leave Man United, and in fact, remains confident about fighting for his place.
According to the Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Mason Mount is eager to get a good pre-season under his belt and fight for his place under Ruben Amorim.
Nevertheless, Fabrizio Romano has refused to rule out any decision change at either end of the spectrum. There is still time in the transfer window for Mason Mount to change his mind about Man United, or the club changing its mind about the player.
As it stands, Mason Mount risks playing tug of war with one arm against a tiger. Mount's injury record is poor at Man United and he might be in contention for a place with two proven Premier League attackers in Bryan Mbuemo and Matheus Cunha.
Man United's attack is improving, but if Mount is up for the task, then it'll be an interesting element of healthy competition.