The future of Stoke City midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri has been cast into doubt after his agent admitted that the Swiss international would be evaluating his options when the transfer window re-opens in January.
The 25 year old arrived in The Potteries from Inter Milan in the summer of 2015 for a then club record fee of £12 million in what was regarded as something of a shock coup for the Premier League club. However, Shaqiri’s time in England has been disrupted by injuries and, despite showing flashes of brilliance, his performances on the pitch have been characterised by inconsistency.
Reports in Italy suggest that Roma are preparing a bid for Shaqiri in the New Year and when his agent, and brother, Erdin was questioned over a potential transfer by Corriere dello Sport his response certainly did little to quash the rumours. He admitted:
“The only thing that’s certain is that Xherdan is focused on Stoke City. January is a long way off, there will be time to evaluate the various options.2
“Roma? Never say never.”
Stoke City have suffered a poor start to the new season and currently languish second from bottom in the Premier League table and are still searching for their first win of the campaign. Shaqiri has missed much of the season through injury and, coincidentally, The Potters have not lost any of the three matches in which he has played, including scoring a brilliant free-kick on the opening day at Middlesbrough.
Mark Hughes will undoubtedly be looking to keep hold of the Swiss superstar but a move to Italian capital and a possible return to continental action may be enough to persuade the ex-Bayern Munich midfielder to force through a move in January.
Shaqiri is due to arrive back in The Potteries shortly after playing a prominent role in both of Switzerland’s victories during the international break and he is expected to start for The Potters when they face fellow strugglers Sunderland this weekend.
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