The Andalucian outfit had planned to not issue the number ever
again after the player died at the start of last season due to heart
failure.
Puerta's death stunned the city and the football world
and as one last act in his memory, Sevilla had hoped to ensure that
nobody would wear 16 again.
But the RFEF's rules state that
clubs must use number 1 to 25 for their regular squad and that there is
no room for maneouvre when it comes to altering that list.
As a
result, David Prieto will don the number 16 next term in honour of his
friend, while the club's newest signings will immediately fill the
spaces left by those that have been sold.