Daily Mail
Manchester United handed Mason Mount their iconic No 7 shirt after completing a £60million deal for the England midfielder on Wednesday.
Having unveiled Mount as their first summer signing, United stepped up the pursuit of Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana and had an offer of £34m plus £5m in add-ons rejected by Inter Milan.
Mount was offered the No 7 jersey - made famous at Old Trafford by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo - during talks with manager Erik ten Hag.
Mount has signed a £250,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford until 2028 with the option of another year after United agreed to pay Chelsea £55m plus £5m in add-ons.
Mail Sport sources say that Mount fits the mould of a dynamic energy player wanted by manger Erik ten Hag, who was heavily involved in the process of the transfer. In fact, it's understood that Ten Hag offered Mount the No 7 shirt during their discussions, underlining how much United wanted him amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Mount wore the No 19 shirt - currently taken by Raphael Varane - while at Chelsea, where he was crowned Player of the Year for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, also helping them to a famous Champions League victory in 2021.
Adding to his £60m transfer fee, Mount will undoubtedly face increased pressure having taking the No 7 shirt - becoming the 10th player to be given the shirt since permanent squad numbers introduced.
A number of players have struggled in the No 7 jersey in recent years, including Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay. Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia too have worn the strip.
The midfielder insists he is ready for the challenge, though. After signing the deal with his new club, he said: 'It's never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.
'Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I'm joining, and I can't wait to be part of this group's drive to win major trophies.
'Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag. Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn't be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.
'I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it. I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United.'
Mount was all smiles as he arrived at United's Carrington base on Wednesday, dressed in his new club's attire.
The midfielder, upon completing his transfer, ends an 18-year spell at Chelsea, which began when he joined the academy as a six-year-old.
His spell at the club turned sour after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club to Todd Boehly in 2022, with the team struggling under the upheaval and mass changes to both player and staff personnel.
Their 12th-placed finish in the 2022-23 campaign, coupled with the lure of playing Champions League football with United on more than double his salary, proved strong enough for him to leave the club he has supported as a boy.
The player was on the books at Chelsea for his entire career, although he spent time away on loan to Derby in 2018-19 and Vitesse Arnheim in 2017-18, and won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup with the Blues.
In a farewell message to Chelsea fans, Mount said: 'Hi Chelsea fans, given the speculation over the last six months, this may not come as a surprise to you. But it doesn't make it any easier to tell you I've made the decision to leave Chelsea.
'I feel you deserve more than just a written statement so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I've been for all of your support over the last 18 years.
'I know some of you won't be happy with my decision but it's what's right for me at this moment in my career.
ning the Youth Cup, my player of the year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.'
After securing their No.1 midfield target, United will look to add a goalkeeper and striker with what remains of a £120m transfer budget.
Ten Hag is keen to sign his former Ajax keeper Onana after David de Gea's contract ran out last week, but Inter want in excess of £50m and turned down the opening £39m offer.
United remain in talks over Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund and Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt.
Having unveiled Mount as their first summer signing, United stepped up the pursuit of Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana and had an offer of £34m plus £5m in add-ons rejected by Inter Milan.
Mount was offered the No 7 jersey - made famous at Old Trafford by George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo - during talks with manager Erik ten Hag.
Mount has signed a £250,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford until 2028 with the option of another year after United agreed to pay Chelsea £55m plus £5m in add-ons.
Mail Sport sources say that Mount fits the mould of a dynamic energy player wanted by manger Erik ten Hag, who was heavily involved in the process of the transfer. In fact, it's understood that Ten Hag offered Mount the No 7 shirt during their discussions, underlining how much United wanted him amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Mount wore the No 19 shirt - currently taken by Raphael Varane - while at Chelsea, where he was crowned Player of the Year for both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, also helping them to a famous Champions League victory in 2021.
Adding to his £60m transfer fee, Mount will undoubtedly face increased pressure having taking the No 7 shirt - becoming the 10th player to be given the shirt since permanent squad numbers introduced.
A number of players have struggled in the No 7 jersey in recent years, including Angel Di Maria and Memphis Depay. Michael Owen and Antonio Valencia too have worn the strip.
The midfielder insists he is ready for the challenge, though. After signing the deal with his new club, he said: 'It's never easy leaving the club where you grew up, but Manchester United will provide an exciting new challenge for the next phase of my career.
'Having competed against them, I know just how strong a squad it is that I'm joining, and I can't wait to be part of this group's drive to win major trophies.
'Everyone can see that the club has made big steps forward under Erik ten Hag. Having met with the manager and discussed his plans, I couldn't be more excited for the seasons ahead, and am ready for the hard work expected here.
'I am hugely ambitious; I know how amazing it feels to win major trophies and what it takes to do it. I will be giving everything to experience that again at Manchester United.'
Mount was all smiles as he arrived at United's Carrington base on Wednesday, dressed in his new club's attire.
The midfielder, upon completing his transfer, ends an 18-year spell at Chelsea, which began when he joined the academy as a six-year-old.
His spell at the club turned sour after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell the club to Todd Boehly in 2022, with the team struggling under the upheaval and mass changes to both player and staff personnel.
Their 12th-placed finish in the 2022-23 campaign, coupled with the lure of playing Champions League football with United on more than double his salary, proved strong enough for him to leave the club he has supported as a boy.
The player was on the books at Chelsea for his entire career, although he spent time away on loan to Derby in 2018-19 and Vitesse Arnheim in 2017-18, and won the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup with the Blues.
In a farewell message to Chelsea fans, Mount said: 'Hi Chelsea fans, given the speculation over the last six months, this may not come as a surprise to you. But it doesn't make it any easier to tell you I've made the decision to leave Chelsea.
'I feel you deserve more than just a written statement so I wanted to tell you directly how grateful I've been for all of your support over the last 18 years.
'I know some of you won't be happy with my decision but it's what's right for me at this moment in my career.
ning the Youth Cup, my player of the year awards, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and of course that unforgettable night when we won the Champions League.'
After securing their No.1 midfield target, United will look to add a goalkeeper and striker with what remains of a £120m transfer budget.
Ten Hag is keen to sign his former Ajax keeper Onana after David de Gea's contract ran out last week, but Inter want in excess of £50m and turned down the opening £39m offer.
United remain in talks over Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund and Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt.
