The Premier League champions have ruthlessly gone about their business this summer, and their ultimate power play over Newcastle United means Hugo Ekitiké is Liverpool-bound.
The Reds used their interest in Alexander Isak as leverage to close in on a deal for the highly-rated French forward, who has intrigued the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid off the back of an impressive Bundesliga season.
A switch to Liverpool marks Ekitiké’s second attempt to shine at one of Europe’s elites. His move to Paris Saint-Germain proved too soon for the forward, and some may question whether he’ll be able to cut it in the rigours of the Premier League.
Still, Ekitiké is a striker of immense talent, and Liverpool have shown they can win league titles in the absence of a reliable No. 9. In that sense, the pressure will be eased, but the cash they’re forking out to bring him to Merseyside means the 23-year-old, in tandem with Florian Wirtz, will be expected to hit the ground running right away.
Here are Ekitiké’s potential shirt number options at his new home.
Hugo Ekitike Shirt Number History
Ekitiké’s talent was harnessed at Reims, where he initially played for the reserve team before making his senior debut in October 2020. The striker wore Nos. 9, 14 and 15 with the reserves, and 33 and 34 when starting out with the senior side.
He went through three different numbers during his first full Ligue 1 campaign, eventually finishing the 2020–21 season as Reims’ No. 9. The Frenchman had previously been handed Nos. 17 and 22.
Ekitiké was curiously assigned the No. 44 shirt after signing for PSG, indicating his minor significance, although he did enjoy run-outs with 9 and 15 in pre-season. His forgettable spell in Paris was followed up by what looks to have been a career-igniting move to Eintracht Frankfurt. Ekitiké exclusively wore No. 11 in Germany.
Liverpool Available Shirt Numbers
Liverpool FC will retire the number 20 jersey across all levels of the club in honour and memory of Diogo Jota.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 11, 2025
Liverpool confirmed earlier this month that Diogo Jota’s No. 20 shirt will be retired following the forward’s tragic passing.
The club’s busy summer means there are several fresh faces in need of new numbers, but there is an array of options available for Ekitiké. The Frenchman could follow in the footsteps of Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush by taking the No. 12 shirt, while 15, 16, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29 are also possibilities for the 23-year-old.
Ekitiké will not be taking the No. 11 shirt off Mohamed Salah, but Nos. 7 and 9 could become available if Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez end up leaving the club this summer.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hugo Ekitike Potential Shirt Numbers at Liverpool.