Rumour Mongering: Monaco in Talks to Sign Xherdan Shaqiri for €36M

The transfer window has just a little more than 24 hours left for Premier League sides, and the expectation based on reports from club-connected journalists was that Liverpool would be quiet and that fans shouldn’t expect any big moves either in or out.

That could all change, though, if a report out of Switzerland today is true, as Blick are reporting that Monaco are engaged in serious discussions to sign Xherdan Shaqiri, with a 50% raise on offer for the player and Liverpool said to be seeking a €36M fee.

Given the time constraints and that Liverpool would have to bring in a replacement before the window closes tomorrow if they were to sell a player that Jürgen Klopp has recently said will have a major role to play for the Reds this season, it seems unlikely.

Still, it’s perhaps worth noting that Blick are the outlet that first reported on Shaqiri moving to Bayern Munich and then to Stoke City, and that they would have insight into the Swiss international’s future shouldn’t be ruled out even with a day left in the window.

Liverpool could sell Shaqiri after tomorrow—while the window shuts for Premier League and Championship sides, it remains open in Europe for the rest of August—but it’s impossible to imagine a move being agreed at any fee if a replacement can’t be signed.

Given the source, this is a rumour that cannot be ruled out completely. But even then the story in Blick never claims Shaqiri is seeking a move, only that Monaco are targeting him, and the only way we see this being possible is if a new signing is imminent.