Mason Mount appeared to say his goodbye to boyhood club Chelsea after the final Premier League game of the season on Sunday.
The England international has been linked with a £70m move to Newcastle this summer amid a contract dispute at Stamford Bridge, as well as a number of other leading clubs in the Premier League.
A product of the academy at Chelsea, the 24-year-old looked emotional after Frank Lampard’s side drew with Newcastle on the final day of the season.
While Mount missed the game through injury, the Evening Standard report that Mount looked as if he was taking in the surroundings at Stamford Bridge for one last time.
Though clearly a big name target given his standing as a Champions League winner and a regular England international, Roy Keane has criticised the player.
MORE NEWCASTLE STORIES
Roy Keane delivers damning verdict of Mason Mount
Indeed, Mount has also been linked with a move to Manchester United.
Talking about the player on Sky Sports, Keane accused Mount of “going missing” this season and suggested the attacking midfielder had “gone off the boil.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about Mount,” he said (via The Metro).
“They’ve been linked with lots of players but the one who would excite you is [Harry] Kane.
“He’s gone off the boil a little bit.
“I know he can bounce back and he’s got qualities, I was raving about him a few years ago but he’s just gone missing this last year or two, again, one or two injuries, the fact [is] he can’t get in a bad Chelsea team.”
Judging Mount on this season seems harsh
While wage concerns might be a bigger issue for Newcastle when it comes to signing Mount, Keane judging him on the basis of this season seems harsh.
Chelsea have been in a state of disarray all year and the midfielder has been forced to miss 13 games through injury.
That is not exactly reflective of his whole career. Prior to that, Mount had hardly missed any significant period through injury in his senior career.
A proven goal threat at Premier League level, all of Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Gareth Southgate have selected him.
Mount is simply too good a player to judge on one poor season.