Rumour: Liverpool to shelve Lallana chase to set up Shaqiri switch

Xherdan Shaqiri has found playing time not to his liking at Bayern

Liverpool are prepared to shelve their hopes of signing Adam Lallana, after having been put off by the £30million asking price Southampton are demanding, and have targeted Bayern Munich’s Xherdan Shaqiri as an alternative, according to the Daily Express.

Liverpool reportedly had a £20m bid for Lallana rejected by Southampton who seek to hold out for top dollar for their star midfielder, with the Saints refusing to listen to any offers that don’t match their £30m asking price.

While Lallana is still confident of sealing a move to Liverpool, manager Brendan Rodgers is wary about paying over the odds for the England international and could look elsewhere for players at a more realistic price. Swiss international Shaqiri is believed to be his number one alternative to the England man.

Shaqiri is thought to be unsettled with life at Bayern currently after finding himself out of the starting line-up on a frequent basis and the Swiss playmaker could be available for as little as £15m, should he force his way out of the Allianz Arena.

Liverpool are also looking for defensive reinforcements and are also finding resistance from Southampton in that department, with the Saints looking to treble the £8m fee they paid for Dejan Lovren last summer.

Shaqiri has previous with Liverpool’s arch-rivals, Manchester United, who the Swiss helped knock out of the 2011/12 Champions League competition during the group stages with Basel.