This January, expect any top European club to bid for Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri. The Swiss international was a reported target of Liverpool in the summer, and the Reds had even lodged formal offers for him, but it was rebuffed.
Shaqiri is also a reported target of Juventus and recently Tuttosport published an article claiming that the Turin giants are serious about landing him in January. The highly rated attacking midfielder, who is often dubbed as the Swiss-Messi, has struggled to get regular games in Pep Guardiola’s star studded Bayern Munich squad and the time is ripe for him to move elsewhere and reignite his career.
He has been made eight league appearances so far, but five of them came as sub role, clocking only 310 minutes of action for Bayern. He has a contract till 2016 but could be looking for a move in order to get regular games.
Swiss newspaper Blick has explored all the possible transfer options in their recent article on Shaqiri. Giving credence to Daily Star’s report that Manchester United and Arsenal are interested in him, the Swiss newspaper adds that it could be a “wishful thinking” as the player wants to play in England.
Blick speculates that a move to La Liga champions Atletico Madrid cannot be completely ruled out either. Mario Mandzukic is a good friend of Shaqiri and the two former Bayern players can reunite again at the Spanish club.
Shaqiri is often linked with a move to Italy, but Blick feels that his chances of landing up at Juventus or Roma is less, as the player might not fancy joining up a league that has lost his aura in the past few years.
Another option for him could be to extend his contract with Bayern and accept the bit-part role offered to him. However, Shaqiri is not interested in joining other Bundesliga clubs like Schalke and Borussia Dortmund, as he feels that would be a downward step in his career.
Knowing the reputation of British tabloids, we really don’t know whether there is at all any interest from United or Arsenal for Shaqiri. In that case, can Liverpool make a move for him in January and secure their long term target?
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