Stoke City confirm interest in signing Liverpool target Xherdan Shaqiri

Stoke City have become the latest club to confirm their interest in signing wantaway Bayern Munich midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri, joining Inter Milan and Liverpool in pursuit of the Swiss international.

The 23 year old has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Bavarian giants, making just three starts in the Bundesliga this season, despite staring at the World Cup where he scored a hat-trick in Switzerland's group stage campaign.

A host of clubs including Liverpool and Inter are interested in the £12m-rated player, but an unlikely interested suitor in the form of Mark Hughes' Stoke have joined the race for Shaqiri. However, the Premier League club are realistic over their pursuit of the player.

"He's definitely on the list, but there is competition for a player of his ability," assistant manager Mark Bowen told the Stoke Sentinel. "There are other clubs interested, but it doesn't mean we rule ourselves out.

"But there's many boxes to tick, not least the financial side of it, and with Shaqiri coming from one of the best, if not the best, clubs in the world, there's a lot of persuasion to get it over the line."

Inter boss Roberto Mancini is hopeful of securing a deal for Shaqiri, while Liverpool have been heavily linked with the ex-FC Basel forward, having followed the player since the infancy of his career.

Mancini said following the confirmation of Lukas Podolski's loan move to the San Siro: "Shaqiri is another option for us, but we don't know what will happen in the next month. We're looking for a player who can play both as a striker and winger, and Shaqiri plays both roles."

The trio of clubs pursuing Shaqiri have been warned they must move quickly to sign him during the January transfer window; and the player's agent, brother Eddin Shaqiri expects a swift conclusion to his sibling's future.

"Things could move fast now," he said. "On the other hand we have until Jan. 31 to find a solution."