Rumour Mongering: Shaqiri Draws Serie A Interest

With word of Liverpool’s financial troubles — albeit less substantial than for many other top clubs — appearing in the news, it has become increasingly obvious that in order to spend the kind of money necessary to renew the squad and bounce back from a disappointing season, the Reds will have to sell.

There are plenty of saleable assets in Jürgen Klopp’s squad, though, and the question is not so much whether they have players to sell, than whether they will be able to fetch the sort of price they would like. Money is going to be in short supply for most football clubs in the immediate future, and even Michael Edwards’ unparalleled ability to extract top value from his sales might be seriously put to the test.

One fringe player who will be entering his second consecutive summer on the market is Xherdan Shaqiri. The midfielder turns 30 this year, has managed just north of 700 league minutes for the Reds over the past two seasons, and is reportedly looking for a move. Liverpool are also, naturally, willing to sell.

And now, it appears both parties may get their wish, as Roma, Lazio and Sevilla are rumoured to be sniffing around the Swiss international. With two years left on his deal, this is also probably Liverpool’s last chance to get anything like full value for Shaqiri, although it is unlikely they’ll have last year’s £23m price tag satisfied in the current market.

As is his wont, Shaqiri has been able to capture major trophies on Merseyside despite limited involvement, but it would appear his time in Red is nearing an end, and one hopes Liverpool can find an appropriate landing spot for the former Bayern man.