Mason Mount could be given Manchester United’s famous no.7 shirt should he swap Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford, as the Red Devils improved bid for the player.
The 24-year-old Chelsea star continues to be heavily linked with a move away from the side he joined when he was just four years old.
Man United’s first offer of £40million was rejected by Chelsea, and a second bid of £50m was also knocked back, but United are confident a deal can be done.
A total package of £60m, made up of £55m plus £5m in add-ons, could be enough to land Mount.
Should he head to Manchester, he could be donning an iconic number on his back.
Cristiano Ronaldo – a player Mount idolised as an academy player – was the last player to wear seven and vacated it when he left the club last season.
David Beckham, Eric Cantona and George Best are others to have donned the shirt over the years.
Mount currently wears the No.19 shirt at Chelsea, which is worn by defender Raphael Varane at United, though he actually likes the no.10 shirt.
Explaining his shirt number in 2021, he said: “It was my first number at Vitesse [on loan between 2017-2018]. I chose it because my birthday is on the tenth and I couldn’t wear number ten.
“One plus nine is ten!
“That was the only one I could get, and I was nineteen [years old] when I was there.
“I then went to Derby [on loan in 2018] and wore number eight and then I came back to Chelsea and all the good numbers were taken, but luckily I got that one back again.”