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So much for what the German media told us the other day, huh?
The Big 3 of Italian sports newspapers are reporting on Sunday morning that the chance to sign Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri is now down to just two clubs — Inter Milan and Liverpool. There used to be a third in that group, a certain Italian champions named Juventus, but the current developments are basically ruling the Old Lady out of making any kind of deal for the 23-year-old Swiss playmaker.
Shaqiri: now only Inter and Liverpool #LFC in the race. Next week new meetings. No more Juventus, trying for Sneijder with Galatasaray #Gala
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 3, 2015
And to make matters worse, those same reports state Shaqiri's preference is to become an Inter player rather than make the move to England and the circus that has become Liverpool's 2014-15 campaign.
Here's what Gianluca Di Marzio is saying about the two options currently in front of Shaqiri:
Now the ball is in the player's court: In England he would receive more money but less certainty on playing time given the current competition for spots at the club. In Italy, it would be the exact opposite. Shaqiri's future lies between the Premier League or Serie A.
Again, the thing missing is pretty easy to figure out. That's Juventus, and the press saying there's a chance to sign him.
But when you consider that Liverpool are reportedly offering a full sale of around €14 or €15 million and Inter are offering a loan with a mandatory buy this summer, then Juventus' Beppe Marotta special of the loan with an option to buy doesn't look so great. Why? Because Bayern are looking to cash in a on player that, despite not playing very much over the last two years and is clearly surplus requirements, still has plenty of value on the open market.
It's just that the market, as it stands right now, doesn't involve Juventus — a team that is looking for the kind of creative player Shaqiri is. That means the rumors and potential of Juve signing somebody like Wesley Sneijder will only continue to grow as the market starts to truly kick things into gear.
So maybe this means 'Hello, Wesley. Goodbye, Xherdan.' Or something like that.
Meh. That's how I feel about all of this.
