Barcelona shirt numbers Dani Alves could wear with Xavi meeting scheduled ahead of deal

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Barcelona have been tipped to sign Dani Alves for a second time following the appointment of the right-back’s former team-mate Xavi as the club’s new manager. The duo played alongside each other at the Nou Camp for seven years.

Alves is currently a free agent after leaving Sao Paulo in September over an apparent dispute about money.

And he reportedly has a meeting scheduled with Xavi to discuss a possible return to Spain.

The Catalonians are in dire straits financially so a move for Alves could make sense as they wouldn’t have to pay a transfer fee.

And Express Sport looks at the possible shirt numbers the defender could wear if he did move back to La Liga.

Number 2

Alves wore the number two shirt for three seasons during his first spell at Barcelona and may want to wear it again this time around.

The shirt currently belongs to Sergino Dest, however, so it’s unlikely Alves will get his old number back.

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Players aren’t generally allowed to switch shirt numbers throughout the season but the Premier League gave Cristiano Ronaldo special dispensation to prize the number seven away from Edinson Cavani when he returned to Manchester United this summer.

So it might be possible for Alves to wear the number two if Xavi wants to make Alves his first-choice right-back.

Number 8

The number eight is the lowest shirt number available after Miralem Pjanic joined Besiktas on loan two months ago.

The number eight is traditionally worn by a midfielder, so Barca may prefer to keep it free in case they sign any attacking players in January.

The shirt was famously worn by Andrés Iniesta for a decade, while Phillip Cocu and Hristo Stoichkov have also worn it in the past.

Number 25

The next shirt available to Alves is the number 25, which hasn’t been worn since Thomas Vermaelen left the club two years ago.

The shirt has been worn by defenders in the past, but is more commonly given to goalkeepers.

Shot-stoppers Jordi Masip, Oier Olazábal and Robert Enke all wore the jersey during their time at Barcelona.

Number 32

Perhaps Alves will opt for the number 32. The number is a combination of the shirts usually worn by left-backs and right-backs.

Santi Ramos Mingo wore the shirt last season, but it is available this time around should Alves want to wear it.

The Brazil international is likely to be back-up to Dest if he did join Barca, so it seems logical that he would be given a higher shirt number rather than one historically worn by a player in the starting XI.

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