Liverpool have plenty on their plate right now but are already looking ahead to next season.
That much was evident after news broke of them sealing an early deal for exciting attacking talent Fabio Carvalho. The Fulham teenager's contract expires in a matter of months meaning he was free to negotiate his future with others clubs outside of England. Domestic teams, however, need to pay a tribunal fee or agree on a transfer with Fulham, which Liverpool have succeeded in doing.
The Reds will fork out a reported £7.7million for Carvalho, who has seven goals and seven assist in the Championship so far this season. One of the burning questions ahead of his move at the end of the campaign is what shirt number he will be handed at Anfield.
At first glance there are no prominent numbers available to the Portuguese. Typical attackers' numbers seven to 11 are already taken up by James Milner (7), Naby Keita (8), Roberto Firmino (9), Sadio Mane (10) and Mohamed Salah (11).
There is the distinct possibility that Milner's number may be up for grabs but he has been offered a fresh contract by the club, with his current deal expiring. But even if the veteran was to depart, it would be a huge call for Liverpool to hand such an iconic shirt to a player who is still only 19-years-old. The next available number in ascending order is 16, which hasn't been worn since the mostly-forgotten Marco Grujic. Numbers 19, 24 and 25 are also currently unused.
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Carvalho currently wears 28 for Fulham and there's a possibility he could be given that on Merseyside. Ben Davies took up that number after joining the Reds in early 2021 but he has never made an appearance for Jurgen Klopp's side and is currently on a season-long loan at Sheffield United. His future remains unclear.
That particular number has had a chequered past, with the likes of Danny Ings, Christian Poulsen and Damien Plessis all wearing it at some stage down the years.
Carvalho will join Liverpool on July 1 for an initial fee of £5m with the Premier League side agreeing to a 20 per cent sell-on fee and a further £2.7m in add-ons. The Fulham star is poised to sign a deal until 2027 after the two clubs remained in contact despite their January discussions falling through. Klopp wanted a deal to be done during the closing stages of the winter window but it broke down as EFL clubs are not allowed to file 'deal sheets' - something Premier League clubs are able to take advantage of.
Speaking in the immediate aftermath of that failed move, Fulham boss Marco Silva said the transfer collapse was not affecting Carvalho. He said: "Fabio is really happy. The day after I saw him with the same smile on his face. This is the main thing. What I said was that Fabio would stay until the end of the season. That was our decision, we could control that. That’s the reality with that."
