Stoke City winger Xherdan Shaqiri is set to undergo a medical at Liverpool after a deal was struck, The Liverpool Echo reports.

Liverpool have triggered Shaqiri's relegation release clause of £13.5m and he is now closing in on a permanent move to Anfield.

The Switzerland international has now returned from World Cup duty, where he scored one and also picked up an assist as his country progressed through the group stages and lost to Sweden in the first knockout round.

The diminutive 5ft 7in winger is now heading to Liverpool for a medical and he looks set to finalise his move.

The 26-year-old netted eight goals and created a further seven for team-mates last season but could not prevent Stoke from suffering relegation to the Championship.

Given his release clause, Stoke were consigned to losing him and it was just a question of where he would be heading with many clubs interested in a swoop for Shaqiri.

But it appears that Liverpool have won the race with the deal expected to go ahead in the next few days.

The Verdict

This could be a good career move for Shaqiri as he gets the chance to compete for trophies at Liverpool.

Although his game time will be more limited than if he joined a mid-table Premier League club, he will have chances to impress as Jurgen Klopp likes to rotate his options.

Shaqiri can deliver a quality ball, his shooting is exceptional on his day and his set-pieces are a real threat, making him a very useful squad option for Klopp.

Stoke fans - How can you reinvest that £13.5m? Let us know below...

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