Why Bradley Barcola rejected Salah's shirt to stick with number 29 at Liverpool

Bradley Barcola will wear the number 29 shirt at Liverpool after completing his transfer to the Premier League.

The France international has finalised his £106m move to Merseyside from PSG and has penned a long-term deal with the Reds.

He arrives having played a key part in successive Champions League wins for the French and European champions.

Liverpool have confirmed that the 23-year-old will wear the number 29 shirt, as he did at Paris Saint-Germain. Barcola's decision to wear number 29 comes despite the availability of 11, which was recently vacated by Mohamed Salah.

Other shirts free in Andoni Iraola's squad include 16 and 17, though Barcola has chosen to continue with 29 for an unusual reason.

An odd shirt number choice for a marquee forward, Barcola has previously explained his affection for the shirt came via his love of FIFA, now known as EA Sports FC. The video game's 'The Journey' mode told the story of fictional character Alex Hunter , who wore 29.

"When I was younger, I used to play FIFA. In the story mode with Alex Hunter, this number became symbolic for me," Barcola previously explained.

"I thought to myself: 'The day I go pro, it'll be number 29.' And here I am, I adopted it, and now I'll never let it go."