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15th Jan 2018

Alexis Sanchez reportedly offered iconic shirt number at Manchester United

Will this sway him?

Darragh Murphy

Will this sway him?

The tug-of-war between Manchester United and Manchester City for Alexis Sanchez is heating up, with both sides upping their respective attempts to bring the wantaway Arsenal forward on board in January.

Sanchez’s contract at the Emirates is up at the end of the season and his current side are keen to recoup some money for the 29-year-old rather than see him leave for nothing in the summer.

City were thought to be runaway favourites to sign Sanchez but United suddenly threw their hat in the ring with an improved bid and wage packet, forcing the Premier League leaders to return with a better offer.

The odds continue to fluctuate on Sanchez’s next destination and while the allure of a reunion with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad is likely tantalising for the Chile international, the Red Devils have attempted to sway him with a promise that he’ll make the iconic No. 7 shirt his own.

Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham are just three Old Trafford legends to have sported the No. 7 but, in recent years, its owners have not enjoyed much luck.

Angel di Maria and Memphis Depay are not exactly going to go down in the annals as all-time United greats but Jose Mourinho hopes that Sanchez can buck that trend.

According to Chilean news outlet Cooperativa, Sanchez has been offered the No. 7 jersey as well as a weekly wage of £400,000 per week if he agrees to move to the red side of Manchester.

United legend Ryan Giggs, who was named new Wales manager on Monday gave his take on what Sanchez would bring to United and it’s safe to say that he’s a fan.

“He’s not only a goalscorer, but he makes goals and works hard,” he said. “So whoever gets him will be a lucky team because he is a top, top player.

“It doesn’t happen very often where you’re running down your contract, you’ve only got six months to go and you’re able to get a player relatively cheap in this environment.

“Whoever gets him, or whether he stays at Arsenal, they’re lucky.”