Liverpool are on the verge of a significant signing, with German international Florian Wirtz set to make the move from Leverkusen to Merseyside.
The 22-year-old has opted against a transfer to Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich, and a deal worth £116 million is reportedly in place, potentially allowing him to complete his switch to Anfield as soon as this week.
Fresh off securing their 20th English top-flight title in Arne Slot’s inaugural season, the Reds are making swift moves in the transfer market.
They’ve already confirmed Jeremie Frimpong as the new right-back to fill Trent Alexander-Arnold’s role and are now eyeing Bournemouth’s left-back, Milos Kerkez, who is heavily linked with a transfer to Liverpool.
There’s a lot to tackle before Liverpool fans can rush into the club shop to grab a Wirtz shirt.
Nevertheless, there’s already speculation about what number might appear on the back of those kits should he finalize his significant transfer to the Premier League powerhouse.
It appears that Wirtz will likely have to give up the number 10 shirt he currently wears at Bayer Leverkusen.
This is due to the presence of Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, who proudly wears that number for the Premier League champions.
With Mac Allister expected to remain at the club, Wirtz will probably revert back to his original squad number from his 2020 arrival at Leverkusen, which is the number 27. Interestingly, that number is currently vacant at Anfield.
Looking at the shirt numbers already assigned within the Liverpool squad, it seems probable that Wirtz could take the number recently worn by Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez.
If that happens, Liverpool fans will be eager to see if he can emerge as a standout player and truly make the number his own on Merseyside.
According to Transfermarkt, just seven players have donned the number 27 at Anfield.
The first to wear this squad number was goalkeeper Mark Gayle during the 1993/94 season. Though he was on loan from Crewe Alexandra, he didn’t make a single first-team appearance.
Following Gayle was another goalkeeper, Stephen Pears, who also didn’t see any game time for the club.
Next in line was Haukur Ingi Gudnason, who, like his predecessors, never played for the Reds.
It wasn’t until French defender Gregory Vignal arrived in 2000 that fans actually saw the shirt number on the pitch.
Vignal had a mixed spell in England, which was followed by Swiss full-back Philipp Degen, who faced similar challenges at the club.
Divock Origi stands out as the most notable player to wear the number 27, having scored crucial goals under Jürgen Klopp, including one in the 2019 Champions League final.
Origi netted 41 goals for the Reds before Darwin Núñez took over the number during a less than stellar debut season in England.