Liverpool Reportedly Open Talks with Stoke City over Xherdan Shaqiri Transfer

Liverpool have reportedly opened talks with Stoke City over a possible transfer for forward Xherdan Shaqiri. 

According to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to get the signing wrapped up this month, and the Reds are ready to trigger the release clause in the Switzerland international's contract. It's said that amount is more than the £12 million that's been reported elsewhere.

"The attacking midfielder hinted last week that his new club would be revealed soon, and Liverpool are now negotiating with Stoke over a deal," said Percy. "Shaqiri does have a release clause but the exact details are unknown at this stage."

Shaqiri joined Stoke in a surprise move from Inter Milan in the summer of 2014 and has been one of the team's standout players in recent years. However, he was part of the side that suffered relegation last term, with the Potters' 10-year stay in the top flight coming to an end.

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The Swiss showed what he is capable of at the FIFA World Cup recently, as he helped his country into the knockout stages of the tournament. His last-gasp winner in the group stage against Serbia was one of the most dramatic moments of the entire competition.

Ahead of the final group game against Costa Rica, these numbers showed the Stoke man is a crucial player in the final third for Switzerland:

That was also the case at Stoke, as the team often channelled their attacking play through Shaqiri in the hope he could conjure a moment of genius. While there were times he relished the responsibility, in the main it left the Potters a little one-dimensional.

If Shaqiri was to move to Anfield, the attacking load would undoubtedly be shared. Last season the trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah frightened defences, and it's tough to see any of those being dislodged for any acquisition this summer.

Shaqiri, as such, would have to face being a squad player, although Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC feels the forward needs to make a jump up in quality:

The challenge for Shaqiri would be thriving in the sporadic appearances he gets and also being a functioning part of a high-pressing team. While there's no doubt he's a fine natural talent, application off the ball has never been one of his strongest attributes.

Per journalist Patrick Boyland, he's lacked consistency throughout his time in the Premier League:

While he would be a decent player to draft in or bring off the bench, at 26 years old, Shaqiri will surely want to be playing regular football. At Liverpool, he may play a bit part in eventual success, but barring the sale of one of the key trio, he'll be facing a lot of time on the bench throughout his time at Anfield.