West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri. It is being reported that the player is being chased by a number of English Premier League clubs including the likes of Everton, Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton. There is also Italian giants AS Roma who want to bring in the winger and has been interested in him since January.
The player is a star man at Stoke and was their lethal option last season. He scored 8 goals and created 7 assists in 36 league games for the Potters. However, his form did little to impact the team’s results as they slumped to a 19th place finish after winning only 7 games throughout the entirety of the season and ended up getting relegated.
The Swiss international has a £12m release clause in his contract reportedly and the player wants to move on this summer as Stoke have been relegated. It is being believed that the Potters will not come in the way of the player if he wants to leave but will definitely want more money as they want to be fairly compensated for their star man.
This might make them charge more for Shaqiri and with so many clubs interested, the race can become even tougher. It is being believed that Liverpool are the frontrunners for his signature in the market but there could be a few complications in the way. The Reds have a formidable front three in Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino which means that whoever comes in will have to spend a considerable time on the bench.
Shaqiri has a habit of leaving big clubs for smaller ones in favour of more game time, as was the case when he left Inter Milan for Stoke City and that might mean that Liverpool could lose out on the Swiss international this summer.
That would pave the way for other clubs, West Ham United in particular. The Hammers had a frustrating season last time out and they failed to get a top half finish. The club has now parted ways with David Moyes and brought in veteran manager Manuel Pellegrini.
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The Hammers will be looking to make a fresh start this season under him and getting in new, better players like Shaqiri will help them mount a better challenge. Moreover, for Shaqiri, he will get regular game time here unlike at a bigger club like Liverpool.
