Southampton are set to battle Real Betis over the signing of Stoke City forward Xherdan Shaqiri in the summer, according to Calciomercato.
The Swiss star is likely to depart the bet365 Stadium this summer, especially if the Potters fail to avoid the drop, and Southampton are keen to offer him a way out.
The former Basel, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan winger was seen as major coup when he signed for Mark Hughes’ Stoke side in 2015, and while he has been largely inconsistent, he is regarded as one of Stoke’s star performers.
Now, Hughes is keen to reunite with the man once dubbed ‘the Alpine Messi’ at St Mary’s, although it is very likely that Shaqiri will consider new challenges away from England despite Hughes’ influence.
Once considered a future superstar, Shaqiri has so far failed to realise the full extent of his potential, and could look to try his abilities in Spain.
