Florian Wirtz could make 'Liverpool request' that may upset team-mate

Florian Wirtz could upset a team-mate on his first day as Liverpool player, should he push forward with a rumoured request. Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen are said to be locked in negotiations over the transfer of Wirtz, who was attracting interest from both Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

It could prove one of the surprise moves of the summer window, given Liverpool came out of relative nowhere. Wirtz is unlikely to come cheap though, given Leverkusen are expected to hold out for a fee way in excess of £100million for the German international.

But Wirtz is at risk of upsetting team-mate Alexis Mac Allister after it was reported by the 22-year-old 'would like' to wear the No.10 shirt during his time with the Anfield side. Wirtz has donned the number for his previous two seasons with Leverkusen and is seemingly keen to carry on that tradition with the Merseyside outfit.

Mac Allister had spoken warmly about taking the No.10 upon his arrival at Liverpool, saying: "I know how important the No.10 is in football. I had the possibility to take the No.8 as well, which is a big number for this club because of [Steven] Gerrard, of course. But I decided for No.10 because I used it a lot of times in Argentina, in Brighton U23s. It's a number I really like and that's why I chose it."

Mac Allister is right that the number holds plenty of significance in football, specifically for Argentines, with both Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi having worn it. But while the midfielder might be disappointed if he has to hand it over, according to former Reds ace Xabi Alonso, .

Speaking during his time as Wirtz's manager at Leverkusen, he explained: "There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient.

"Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: 'You're in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!' It's not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That's why he's so good."

The transfer window has officially opened for a 10-day period ahead of the Club World Cup. It will shut again on 10 June, before reopening on 16 June and running until 1 September.