Leaving No.7 Shirt Free Could Hint That Man Utd Aren't Giving Up on Antoine Griezmann Just Yet

Manchester United have left the No.7 shirt unused after confirming their squad numbers for the Premier League season, hinting at a potential big name signing in the near future.

The Daily Star have reported that Antoine Griezmann is the man that has been identified to take the vacant shirt, and that the Red Devils have set aside £100m to complete the transfer.

The Atletico Madrid forward was repeatedly linked with a move to Manchester in the summer, but opted to stay in Spain due to the club's transfer ban.

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But he remains Jose Mourinho's prime target and could be the player deemed worthy to take the esteemed No.7 jersey.

The likes of George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo have all donned the iconic shirt at Old Trafford.

Signing Griezmann could still prove difficult in January, although Atletico could by then have secured the return of Diego Costa from Chelsea.

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It was revealed that the Frenchman would have moved to United had he not felt obliged to stay at Atletico and help them see through the period of their FIFA-imposed transfer ban.

Griezmann claimed in May that his chances of joining United in the summer were at a "six out of ten".

But his former adviser, Eric Olhats, told France Football last month: "Griezmann didn’t feel able to leave Atletico. He’s been integral to them and has shown his commitment to the club at a time when they couldn’t sign players. Without the Fifa sanctions he would have gone."