Liverpool want at least £16million from Roma for Xherdan Shaqiri

According to Italian publication Calciomercato (h/t Mirror), Liverpool are willing to let Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri leave the club in a deal worth £16-18m.

It should represent a profit on a player who joined the club just two years ago in a cut-price deal worth £13million. Although not a starter by default, Shaqiri enjoyed a fruitful debut season on Merseyside.

He made 30 appearances for Liverpool and scored six goals and five assists. Capable of playing anywhere along the front line, he was an effective option off the bench. This was best exemplified by his match-winning brace against Manchester United after coming on in the 70th minute.

Xherdan Shaqiri proved himself in his first season at Anfield

He has failed to hit the same levels this season and has largely spent time on the sidelines. Injuries have not helped his case much, further limiting his appearances.

Shaqiri has made just 10 appearances this season, most of them coming as cameos. He has played the whole 90 minutes just once. This came in the impressive 5-2 win against Everton at Anfield in December. The 28-year-old put up a fine performance on the night and even grabbed a well-worked goal.

Familiar fans

His situation at Liverpool has grabbed the attention of Italian giants Roma. The Serie-A side are willing to take the player on when the transfer window opens next.

Roma was linked with a move for Shaqiri back in January. Jurgen Klopp, however, refused to sanction a deal for any of his first-team stars until the season is completed.

According to the report, the Italians are likely to pursue a loan deal given their financial troubles. Shaqiri’s contract at Anfield runs till 2023 and Liverpool are under no pressure to sell.

The Reds could be prepared to loan him with an obligation for Roma to buy in order to get Shaqiri’s £4m-per-year salary off the wage bill.

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Shaqiri has proved to be an astute signing who delivered for us in a memorable campaign last season. Although his quality cannot be doubted, his time at Merseyside looks to be coming to an end. It remains to be seen where he ends up at the end of the season.