Rumour Mongering: Fenerbahçe Interested In Xherdan Shaqiri

Despite a few memorable moments, Xherdan Shaqiri has struggled to establish himself as a trusted attacking option for Liverpool since his transfer from Stoke City in 2018. The Swiss forward has managed just eight goals and nine assists in 63 appearances for the Reds over the last three seasons.

Now it sounds as though his Liverpool career is drawing to a close. According to a report from Turkish newspaper Sabah, Turkish club Fenerbahçe have made an offer for Shaqiri. The report, which was translated by SportWitness, says that Fenerbahçe have approached the Reds with an offer to take Shaqiri on loan with an obligation to buy.

Liverpool, who the report claims haven’t yet responded to the offer, are said to be looking for €7m for Shaqiri. Though, it should be noted that this amount is at odds with a tweet from journalist Ekrem Konur that claims Liverpool are seeking €14m.

It would hardly be surprising if Liverpool are truly looking to offload Shaqiri. He is about to enter the final year of his contract, and there doesn’t seem to be much room on the roster for him going forward. He is a 29-year-old who has seen his role steadily diminish over the past two years, and he has struggled to stay fit in that time.

Meanwhile, Diogo Jota has proven himself to be the top option to spell the usual front three, and Harvey Elliott appears primed to take the next step. That doesn’t leave much of a role for a 29 y/o whose skillset is likely to only decline from this point forward. It feels like the right time to seek out potential suitors should manager Jürgen Klopp prefer to give Shaqiri’s minutes to a player like Elliott.

Even if Klopp would like to hang on to him, Shaqiri may not be interested in sticking around. Sabah claims he has asked his agent to find him a new club for next season. He may even have a few options if the aforementioned Konur is to be believed. According to him, Roma, Lazio, and Sevilla are all interested in a move for the winger.

We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any truth to any of this, but it’s not hard to believe that Shaqiri could be on his way out, and multiple suitors can only be good for both him and Liverpool.