Bradley Barcola takes cursed Liverpool shirt number as £123m transfer, contract length confirmed

Liverpool have announced the signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain and unveiled the Frenchman's shirt number at Anfield.

The former Lyon starlet joins in a deal that could make him Liverpool's second-most expensive signing of all time, as Liverpool and PSG shook hands on a total £123m package.

The Merseyside giants will fork out an initial £106m for Barcola, with another £17m in performance-related add-ons, and he is understood to have signed a five-year deal until the summer of 2031.

Barcola completed his medical at the AXA Training Centre on Monday and has now officially become Liverpool's fifth signing of the summer window, after Ronald Araujo, Victor Munoz, Jeremy Jacquet and Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Speaking to liverpoolfc.com in his first interview since joining the Reds, Barcola revealed his number one aim for his Liverpool stint - winning the Premier League title.

Bradley Barcola: 'I want to win the Premier League with Liverpool'

Incroyable. ?‍? pic.twitter.com/g6xMmW9kO3
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 31, 2026

"It's a great pride to be able to play for Liverpool. I'm very happy," Barcola said. "It took a long time but I'm really happy today to be able to play for Liverpool and all I want is to be on the pitch and be able to play.

"I hope to achieve very big things. First of all, winning the Premier League – it's one of my biggest dreams in my life. It is to do that and to stay in this team in the long term – that's why I signed a long contract – and I hope I can do it.

"I had the chance to play twice in this stadium and I saw the atmosphere and how the fans were behind the Liverpool players. When I knew about Liverpool's interest in me, I didn't ask questions and I knew it was a very big club for me."

Barcola leaves PSG having come up with 39 goals and 37 assists in 152 appearances for the European champions in all tournaments, including 13 strikes and seven helpers from 49 outings in 2025-26.

The 23-year-old could make his debut for Iraola's side away to Ipswich Town in Friday's Premier League clash, before a maiden Anfield appearance against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on September 9.

What shirt number will Bradley Barcola wear at Liverpool?

As well as unveiling Barcola as their marquee arrival, Liverpool also confirmed that the France international would sport the number 29 shirt for the upcoming campaign.

Barcola donned the same jersey during each of his three seasons with PSG, but the number has been associated with players who failed to make the grade at Liverpool down the years.

The most recent incumbent of the '29' was Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo, who spent the 2022-23 season on loan with Liverpool but made just one senior appearance in a nightmarish campaign.

Prior to Arthur's short stint, the 29 shirt was also worn by Dominic Solanke between 2017 and 2019 - during which time he scored just one goal in 27 games - and Fabio Borini, who netted just three goals in 38 matches from 2012 to 2015.

Krisztian Nemeth and Gabriel Paletta represent two other underwhelming names to sport the 29 for Liverpool, but none of its previous holders arrived with the same hype and expectation as their new £123m man.