Reports: Liverpool interested in signing relegated star for  £12m

Shaqiri was close to completing a move to Liverpool in 2014
Shaqiri was close to completing a move to Liverpool in 2014

What's the story?

The Guardian has reported that Liverpool are looking to sign Swiss International, Xherdan Shaqiri, from relegated Stoke City for a meager £12m.

The news has also been reported by reputed Liverpool based journalists Paul Joyce and Melissa Reddy.

In case you didn't know

Shaqiri has a release clause in his contract which allows him to leave Stoke City for a fee reported to be in the range of £12m-£13.5m that has come into effect following's Stoke City's relegation.

The 26-year-old has made it clear that he has no intention of playing in the Championship but would prefer to stay in England.

The player has previously revealed that he was close to completing a move to Liverpool in 2014 before Bayern Munich pulled the plug. He ended up moving to Inter Milan in the very next transfer window.

Also read: Reports: Liverpool to sign Nigerian International Moses Simon

The heart of the matter

The only two natural wide players in the current Liverpool squad are Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. In the aftermath of the Champions League final, it was clear that the club needs more depth in that area as the injury to Salah proved to be a major blow.

Shaqiri has plenty of experience at the top level and rose to fame during his Basel days while playing in the Champions League.

He was a target for Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers but a move didn't materialize back then. The situation was similar with Salah and the decision to revisit an old target turned out to be a masterstroke.

Jurgen Klopp has signed a player from a relegated Premier League team in the previous two summer transfer windows.

In 2016, he signed Georginio Wijnaldum from Newcastle and in 2017, he signed Andrew Robertson from Hull City. Both signings excelled at Liverpool and the fans will be hoping Shaqiri can keep that trend going.

Rumour probability: 7/10

The sources that have reported Liverpool's interest in the Switzerland international are trustworthy and thus the chances of the move happening are quite high.

The move also makes sense from a financial point of view as Klopp will want to invest heavily in other positions. In addition, he will have another winger with Premier League experience to add depth to the squad.

What's next?

Shaqiri will fly to Russia with the Swiss team and there is a good chance that Klopp will want to seal the deal before the World Cup starts. There are other clubs interested in the player because of which the Reds will want to wrap up a potential deal as quickly as possible.

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Edited by Alan John