Xherdan Shaqiri’s transfer from Lyon to Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire could end up having repercussions for Liverpool.
The Swiss star moved on from Anfield to Lyon in 2020, with Liverpool receiving a transfer fee of £5 million.
Shaqiri had been a reliable squad player for Jurgen Klopp‘s side during his three-year spell, scoring seven goals in 45 league appearances.
However, during his six-month stint at Lyon, he failed to perform. The 30-year-old scored just twice in 16 Ligue 1 appearances. This resulted in the French side offloading Shaqiri to the MLS.
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Chicago Fire smashed their transfer record to bag the winger for $7.5 million (£5.9 million). With the move, Shaqiri has joined the likes of Lorenzo Insigne and Carlos Vela in a league packed with talent.
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Fire finished third from bottom last season, but with the 30-year-old taking over as the spearhead of their attack, they’ll be hoping for better things to come when their campaign begins in April.
The club’s sporting director, Georg Heitz, said: “We’re extremely pleased to formally welcome Xherdan Shaqiri to the Fire. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to Chicago very soon.”
However, although the move is mutually beneficial for Lyon and Chicago Fire, it is anything but for Liverpool.
Xherdan Shaqiri move could cost Liverpool money
Lyon initially acquired the services of Xherdan Shaqiri for £5 million. This included an obligation to pay a further £4.2 million down the line in bonus instalments and clauses if certain conditions were met. Those conditions have not been made public.
But Shaqiri has barely played in France, and you would normally expect bonus clauses to either require performance objectives to be met, or to be spread out over a long period of time.
And according to the Daily Star, Liverpool could end up missing out on the bonuses altogether because of his lack of game time. And to make matters worse, Lyon sold the Swiss international on for a profit.
Despite enduring a tough six months at Lyon, the dynamic footballer will hope to get back to his scintillating best in the MLS.
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