If my contact changes number, can I remove their old number but preserve their texts under their name?

So one of my contacts changed their phone number. I have text message history with them. Adding the new number to that contact shows a continuation of the text message thread.

If I remove their old number from that contact, the thread breaks into new messages from them, and old messages from the original number (no longer under their name).

There are a couple issues with keeping their old number: (1) if I need to contact them, I'll always have to choose via which number to contact them and (2) if I ever get contacted from that old number (unlikely as that may be), it would look as if it's my contact, even though it's not.

I know it's a reach, but maybe there's a way to modify all past text messages with their old number to their new number?