Marc Guehi could be forced to wear an unfamiliar number if the England defender lands a dream move to Liverpool. The Reds are reportedly lining up an audacious bid for the Crystal Palace centre-back, who has been linked with a host of top clubs.
Palace rejected a bid from Tottenham in January worth up to £70million. The club had previously fended off interest from Newcastle last summer, but with their captain's contract expiring next summer, they now face pressure to negotiate a sale. Liverpool now appear the favourites for his signature as they look to continue their spending spree after signing Florian Wirtz.
However, Guehi has donned the No.6 shirt in each of his last four seasons with the Eagles. Prior to that, he wore the No.5 jersey in 2020/21 on a season-long loan from Chelsea to Swansea City.
Neither the four nor the five shirt is available at Anfield, having long been assigned to skipper Virgil van Dijk and defensive partner Ibrahima Konate. Six, however, is currently free, having been vacated a year ago by Thiago Alcantara, and would seem the natural choice for Guehi, 24, if the move does go through.
However, Milos Kerkez could first throw a spanner into the works. The Hungarian international has already agreed terms on his own £40m move to Liverpool after excelling for Bournemouth these past two seasons.
The 21-year-old is then likely to hone in on the six shirt given it's the only first XI number available. After that, 12, 13, and 22 are the next available options, none of which are traditionally worn by a full-back.
The Kerkez deal is expected to go through imminently. On the contrary, the Guehi saga has a considerable way to run, making it inconceivable at this stage that Liverpool club chiefs would order a number to be kept for him.
Guehi is also unlikely to try and wrestle a number away from Konate or Reds icon Van Dijk. Indeed, the Chelsea academy product is likely to be more focused on simply getting a move to an elite club, and with it the opportunity to play Champions League football for the first time in his career.
