LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, December 4, 2019: Liverpool's Xherdan Shaqiri celebrates his side's fifth goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC, the 234th Merseyside Derby, at Anfield. Liverpool won 5-2. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Roma persist with Xherdan Shaqiri interest despite Liverpool’s ‘no sale’ stance

Despite Liverpool’s message being no first-team players will be sold this month, Roma are seemingly pressing on with a move for Xherdan Shaqiri.

Roma’s interest in Shaqiri emerged last week, with Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming the Reds had rejected a loan offer for the winger.

The Serie A side are searching for cover for Nicolo Zaniolo, after the 20-year-old’s season-ending ACL injury, and given Shaqiri’s lack of game time he will have presented an interesting option.

But reports in the Mirror soon after insisted Liverpool would not part ways with any of Klopp’s senior squad, as he will need numbers as the campaign continues.

This has not deterred Roma, according to Romano’s compatriot Gianluca Di Marzio, who claims that Paulo Fonseca’s side are “trying to determine if Liverpool will now be open to a loan deal with a set option to buy.”

Di Marzio writes that Roma had wished to seal a swap deal Inter Milan that would see Matteo Politano move to the Stadio San Paolo while Leonardo Spinazzola moved the other way.

But a breakdown in talks, and Inter’s subsequent interest in Victor Moses, has seen Roma approach the Reds for a second time.

While rumours from Italy regarding Premier League players can often be swiftly disregarded, both Romano and Di Marzio are reputable sources when it comes to clubs in Serie A.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Monday, December 9, 2019: Liverpool's Xherdan Shaqiri during a training session at Melwood Training Ground ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group E match between FC Salzburg and Liverpool FC. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

It is likely Roma’s desire to sign Shaqiri is genuine, and it is possible the frequency of these reports comes through the work of the 28-year-old’s agent.

Shaqiri has rarely been a first-choice start since his £13.5 million move from Stoke in 2018, and though he has remained an important squad player given his age it would be no surprise if he sought an exit.

The arrival of Takumi Minamino from Salzburg this month, and the progress of Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, does increase competition in the final third further.

But regardless, until the end of the season Klopp’s ‘no sale’ stance should be maintained, Shaqiri has proved during his time at the club that he is an invaluable option when called upon.

He is likely to be in the matchday squad for Sunday’s clash with Man United, and could return to the starting lineup in the following week, for a double-header against Wolves and Shrewsbury.