Liverpool forward Xherdan Shaqiri has admitted he will speak to his agent this summer about his future at Anfield, although he won’t be doing so or making any decisions until after Euro 2020.
Shaqiri, once formerly of both Bayern Munich and Inter, joined Liverpool from Stoke in 2018 for just £13.5m. His arrival was hailed as a bargain signing that could add depth to the Reds squad, yet the experienced Switzerland international has struggled to establish himself.
As a result of both injury and intense competition for places, the 29-year-old has made only 33 appearances in all competitions across the last two seasons. He started only seven Premier League games during that time and spent most of the 2020/21 campaign on the bench when fit.
With Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane firm starters, the 2020 arrivals of Takumi Minamino and Diogo Jota at Anfield pushed Shaqiri further down the pecking order. Even Minamino was forced to leave on loan in January to get chances to play and Shaqiri is widely expected to move on this summer so that he will have more opportunities in the final third of his career.
“At the moment, I don’t really want to talk about it. I have a contract [at Liverpool] and after the Euros, of course, I will talk to my agent,” the player told the Daily Mirror.
“We will look at the situation and then we will decide how to proceed.”
Shaqiri still has two more years left on the original five-year deal he signed when he joined Liverpool and the biggest challenge might be finding a club to match his existing £80,000 weekly salary.
Whether that means he has to accept a pay cut in order to secure a transfer, ends up spending the 2021/22 campaign on loan somewhere, or remains on the fringes at Liverpool barely playing for another year, only time will tell.
The Mirror notes that Liverpool are open to offers for Shaqiri but would prefer a straight cash deal and do not want to have to subsidise his wages. That could rule out a loan exit if there are no clubs willing to commit to paying the player’s full salary.
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Source : 90min