How Portsmouth have twice attempted to bring Chelsea's Mason Mount back home

The Chelsea starlet is tonight bidding to retain his England place for the Euro 2020 qualifier in Bulgaria.

Mount, who hails from Purbrook and is a lifelong Pompey fan, is this season thriving in the Premier League having been handed a first-team opportunity by Frank Lampard.

That impressive progression should come as no surprise to Kenny Jackett, who twice tried to recruit the talented midfielder for the Blues.

The News understands Jackett initially enquired about Mount’s availability in the summer of 2017, after replacing Paul Cook at Fratton Park.

However, the Chelsea Academy product had already been lined up for a season-long loan at Dutch club Vitesse Arnham.

Following a highly-successful spell in Holland, scooping their player of the season accolade during a sixth-placed finish, Mount returned to Stamford Bridge.

That prompted Jackett to again put out the feelers for a prospective loan deal in the summer of 2018.

Yet Pompey were once more denied, this time by an impending loan switch to Derby County, where Lampard had just taken charge.

There was to be no third attempt for the Blues boss, with Mount this summer earmarked for Chelsea involvement following Lampard's appointment as Stamford Bridge boss.

The former Purbrook Park School pupil has had eight Premier League outings this season, scoring four times, including in a 4-1 win at Southampton earlier this month.

The current campaign has also seen him break into Gareth Southgate’s England side, appearing three times.