Chelsea manager Graham Potter says he hopes negotiations to extend Mason Mount’s contract at the club are sorted “quickly”.
The England midfielder is in the last 18 months of his current deal at Stamford Bridge.
Mount, 24, has struggled for form recently and hasn’t started for the Blues since the 0-0 draw with Fulham at the beginning of February.
“It’s always complicated, there’s always negotiation,” Potter said.
Chelsea have strengthened their midfield with the £107m British record signing of Enzo Fernandezbut former Brighton boss Potter still sees Mount as a key part of his plans.
“It’s best I leave it between Mason and the club,” he added. “It’s the best way for that to be dealt with.
“He’s been fantastic to work with, an important player for us and of course I hope it gets resolved quickly.”
At the end of last season, Chelsea lost defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
The club wants to avoid situations like that in the future, with plans to not let key players get to a point where they have less than two years to run on their contracts.
Offering long-term deals, like the eight-and-a-half year contracts signed by Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk in January, is seen as a way to combat this happening regularly and offers asset protection.
Chelsea, who have won just two of their last 13 games, host managerless Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday.
