Florian Wirtz appears to hit back at reports suggesting he wants the No. 10 jersey at Liverpool

Florian Wirtz has dismissed rumors suggesting he is demanding the No. 10 shirt number at Liverpool should he complete a move from Bayer Leverkusen to the Merseyside club. The highly-rated German international has been linked with a transfer to Anfield over the past couple of months, but as of now, no formal agreement has been reached between the two clubs.

On Monday (June 2), Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg reported that Florian Wirtz would like to wear the number 10 at Liverpool if he joins the club, the same number he currently wears at Bayer Leverkusen. Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister currently holds the iconic number for the Reds..

Wirtz, evidently frustrated by the mounting media speculation, took to Instagram to publicly respond to the rumors. In a post shared via his Instagram Story, the 22-year-old midfielder wrote:

“Who says I want the 10. I respect players. Don’t believe everything what’s written,” followed by a clown face emoji.

Florian Wirtz's Instagram story

Mac Allister has been wearing the number 10 jersey at Liverpool since the start of the 2023/24 season. The number has previously been donned by Michael Owen, Joe Cole, and Philippe Coutinho. Sadio Mane was the last player to wear it before it was handed over to Mac Allister.

Recent reports have claimed that the Reds have had their bid for Florian Wirtz rejected twice, as their offers do not meet Bayer Leverkusen’s asking price for their player.

"I just hope that he is allowed to settle in" – Liverpool offered Florian Wirtz transfer advice

Amid rumors of Liverpool’s potential signing of Florian Wirtz, Stan Collymore issued a warning to his former club regarding the acquisition of a big-name player like the German international. Collymore claimed it is unusual for the Reds to sign a high-profile player and expressed skepticism about the signing turning out to be beneficial for the club.

He said (via Tribal Football):

"The slight discomfort from me, having been a big Liverpool signing, is that Liverpool traditionally have made players. People will say 'look at how much they have spent in the last 20 years', and I get it, but with players that have lots of room to develop

"Don't get me wrong, Florian Wirtz has got a lot of room to develop, which in itself is a very exciting prospect, but they haven't gone down the road that Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City have gone down — big, blockbuster signings.

"The last time it happened was Alberto Aquilani when there were banners on The Kop before he had even played a game. It feels a little bit like that in terms of it being 'wow'.

He added:

"This was a guy who was going to go to Bayern Munich, or if not Bayern Munich then Real Madrid or Manchester City, for example. So from a Liverpool perspective, it is kind of like saying 'we are here now and we want to maintain our position and fire a warning shot across the bows of Europe's best clubs, to attack the Champions League'.

"I hope — because Liverpool are so used to developing players and making them into superstars — that having someone coming in as a superstar, they can manage that carefully and not let it become about the cult of Florian Wirtz. I just hope that he is allowed to settle in and just be one of the lads, where there is a seamless transition on the pitch."

Wirtz played a key role in Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen team that won a historic double in the 2023/24 campaign.