Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for Swiss attacker Xherdan Shaqiri, even if reports over the last few days seem to be very conflicting over whether he might join the Reds or Inter Milan, as explained by This Is Anfield.

Simon Jones of The Daily Mail claims Shaqiri will hold talks with Bayern Munich officials on Wednesday to discuss a move to Liverpool or Inter. Jones claims Inter are interested in a loan move, while Liverpool may not be able to afford a permanent deal this month.

It’s perhaps “Sky Sources” who are correct, claiming Liverpool are more interested in a deal in the summer and are happy for the 23-year-old to join Inter on loan for the rest of this season.

Alas, it looks unlikely, then, that Shaqiri will be heading to Anfield this month, and as much as he might have been a welcome arrival on Merseyside, it makes sense that Liverpool aren’t looking for a deal now, especially with potential issues over Financial Fair Play.

The truth is, the least of Liverpool’s concerns this month and for the remainder of the season is bringing in an attacking midfielder, it’s the one area the Reds are nicely stocked, with Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana, Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling and even the potential recall of Jordon Ibe from loan.

Signing Shaqiri is the lowest of Liverpool’s priorities.

Priorities

Undoubtedly, the highest priority must be acquiring a goalkeeper. While Brendan Rodgers may publicly insist he is planning on “little, if any” activity this January (as per ESPNFC) he must privately be desperate to strengthen his No. 1 position.

Simon Mignolet‘s problems have been well documented, and were evidenced again in the FA Cup match at AFC Wimbledon Monday night. The Reds continue to be susceptible to set pieces, and that can only begin to be eradicated with the arrival of a commanding goalkeeper who can withstand physical pressure on corners and free-kicks.

Of course, Petr Cech would be the ideal signing, whether that can happen or not, especially now Chelsea have allowed Mark Schwarzer to leave for Leicester City, as reported by BBC Sport, is a whole other question.

While a goalkeeper is a top priority, signing a forward isn’t far behind either.

Again, Liverpool’s goalscoring problems have been well documented this season. Fabio Borini, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert have just one Premier League goal between them this season and arguably Liverpool could sign one new forward and let all three of them leave.

Options of Daniel Sturridge, Sterling and a new striker would seem far better than what Rodgers currently has available.

Borini seems the one most likely to leave, and whether that happens or not could be key to Liverpool’s activity, bringing in vital finances to fund a new singing elsewhere.

Because Liverpool’s problems don’t just extend to in goal and up front, a combative central midfielder would be a welcome addition too. Although that falls lower down the priorities than the other two and will likely have to wait until the summer, when a rebuild looks to be in order. Again.

Shaqiri

Back to Shaqiri, and while the Switzerland international would undoubtedly improve the squad, it would be like Rafa Benitez’s famous quote while at Valencia: “I asked for a table and they bought me a lamp.”

Mind you, we sat here last January saying how Liverpool needed a holding midfielder and a full-back and all they sought to sign were two wingers—Mohamed Salah and Yevhen Konoplyanka—so who knows what Rodgers and his mysterious transfer committee have up their sleeve this year.

Surely, surely, though, they see the need for a goalkeeper this January—it really could be the difference between a top-four challenge or not, and it could subsequently save Rodgers his job.

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Stoke City have emerged as Liverpool‘s unlikely rivals for Xherdan Shaqiri’s signature, according to reports.

The Bayern Munich star, who has struggled to secure consistent first-team football since leaving Basel in 2012, is a figure of admiration for the Potters. Assistant boss Mark Bowen recently underlined the club’s ambition to BBC Radio Stoke (h/t Dejan Kalinic of Goal.com), saying, “To get a good player like him on board would be fantastic.”

“There are other clubs interested, but it doesn’t mean we rule ourselves out,” continued Bowen. “He’s definitely on the list, but there is competition for a player of his ability.”

Mark Hughes’ side pulled off the ambitious coup of signing ex-Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic during the summer, a transfer that Bowen believes could aid the club’s quest for Shaqiri.

“It’s bound to help and it does help,” he said, per Kalinic. “There’s many boxes to tick, not least the financial side of it, and with Shaqiri coming from one of the best clubs in the world, there’s a lot of persuasion to get it done.”

Liverpool fans will certainly need to wade through various Shaqiri rumours before the truth is revealed. Swiss newspaper Blick (h/t Chisanga Malata of the Daily Star) reports a £10 million fee has already been agreed for the 23-year-old’s switch to Anfield.

Anthony Chapman of the Express believes Brendan Rodgers has offered Shaqiri “a lucrative long-term deal,” a contract that has reportedly pushed Inter Milan out of the running for his signature. Romeo Agresti of Goal.com believes Juventus are “ready to launch” a £15 million bid, a sum that could steer Shaqiri away from Merseyside.

Rodgers needs to be hunting players of this calibre, those who can have an immediate impact on his team’s chances of reaching the Champions League.

Although an unlikely transfer, rumours of Karim Benzema’s interest continue to spring up. Ben Jefferson of the Express believes the Real Madrid striker “has his heart set on a move to the Premier League.” Liverpool are preparing a £40 million bid according to the aforementioned report, but there’s no doubt this seems an unlikely pairing.

Benzema pretty much has guaranteed success laid out ahead of him at Madrid. It would be a gutsy move to exchange titles and Champions League football for a Premier League scrap for fourth. Europe’s elite would likely weigh up a bid if he becomes available, with teams such as Paris Saint-Germain able to offer greater terms than Liverpool. David Wright of the Express reports of the Ligue 1 side’s interest.

More likely is the arrival of West Brom’s Saido Berahino, a player the Baggies have valued at £20 million, per the Mirror‘s Steve Robson. Warren Haughton of talkSPORT believes the midlands club “will be willing to sell” if they receive a bid in the region of £12-15 million. This is perhaps closer to Liverpool’s budget for January.

News of Steven Gerrard‘s departure will have many supporters thinking about the club’s long-term future. Gerrard recently admitted, “If a contract had been put in front of me in pre-season I would have signed it,” reported by the Liverpool Echo (h/t Carl Markham of The Independent).

Instead, the club waited too long and will lose their talisman—who has netted four goals in his last two matches—to LA Galaxy, reported by Ben Smith of BBC Sport. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher recently hinted at his thoughts on the Reds’ inability to tie Gerrard up:

Liverpool need additional goalscoring prowess, as noted by Andy Brassell’s recent rundown of potential candidates with B/R UK’s Ryan Bailey:

Rodgers has to act quickly and with authority if he’s to secure the right talent in January. Liverpool failed to sign Mohamed Salah and Yevhen Konoplyanka after taking too long over negotiations during last season’s winter transfer window, so they need to work avidly.

If suitable quality isn’t found and the club fails to make next season’s Champions League, Rodgers and the board will have plenty to answer for. You have to feel that a major signing is on the way to soften the blow after Gerrard’s departure, with Shaqiri remaining a possible prospect to up Liverpool’s creativity.

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Juventus are a point clear atop the Serie A standings following Tuesday’s competitive 1-1 draw with Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia.

Carlos Tevez opened the scoring for the Bianconeri inside the opening five minutes, and it wasn’t until shortly after the hour-mark that Mauro Icardi equalised for the Nerazzurri.

The match also featured the Inter debut of Lukas Podolski, who quite nearly put Icardi through for a winner late in the second half.

There were several standout performances at Juventus Stadium, as well as one or two that were rather less impressive.

Following are the individual winners and losers from the encounter.

Begin Slideshow

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Juventus missed a chance to restore their three-point lead atop Serie A following a 1-1 draw with Inter Milan on Tuesday evening in the Derby d’Italia.

Carlos Tevez fired Juve ahead in just the fifth minute, and the hosts appeared set for victory after dominating the first 45 minutes. But Inter improved after the break and equalised through Mauro Icardi in the 64th minute.

The visitors had perhaps the best chance for a late winner but finished the match with 10 men following Mateo Kovacic‘s dismissal four minutes from time.

With the draw, Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus retained top spot in the Serie A table with 40 points through 17 matches. But the Bianconeri, who led by three points over the winter break, saw their lead trimmed to one point following Roma’s controversial victory at Udinese earlier Tuesday.

Juventus will resume their quest for a fourth straight league title with a tricky trip to Napoli on Sunday.

Inter, who moved ahead of Udinese and into 11th place with the draw, host Genoa the same day.

Intriguing storylines abounded ahead of kick-off. For Inter, new signing Lukas Podolski started on the bench after the German forward completed his loan move from Arsenal on Monday, per Sky Sports. Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini was set to face Juve striker Tevez for the first time as Inter manager. The two had a sometimes-strained relationship when both were with Manchester City in England. 

Within moments of the opening whistle, the action on the pitch took centre stage. Juve missed a big chance in the second minute as Claudio Marchisio blasted wide, Tevez having supplied the final pass after fine buildup play by the Bianconeri.

It mattered little, however. Three minutes later, the hosts went ahead.

Arturo Vidal served as the catalyst, brilliantly creating the opening with the deft flick of the heel. Fernando Llorente passed to the Chilean on the right side of the box, where Vidal used a clever touch with the inside of his heel to open up space and beat his marker. Chasing down the ball near the byline, Vidal crossed into the goalmouth, where Tevez tapped in for 1-0.

Inter attempted to gain a foothold throughout the remainder of the first half, but Juventus continued to create the better chances. Vidal came close to a goal of his own in the 12th minute, seeing his low shot tipped over the bar after Inter failed to clear a corner.

The Chilean had another chance in the 27th minute, but his bouncing effort from outside the box was saved by Samir Handanovic.

The Inter goalkeeper saved again in the 35th minute, stopping Paul Pogba one-on-one after Pogba slalomed through a crowd of defenders in the box.

Still trailing by a goal at half-time, Inter introduced Podolski for Zdravko Kuzmanovic in the 54th minute. The Nerazzurri produced their first shot on target 10 minutes later, and it turned into the equaliser.

Fredy Guarin carved open Juve‘s defence with an incisive pass into the right side of the box. Outpacing his marker, Icardi ran onto the ball and beat Gianluigi Buffon from a tight angle to make it 1-1 in the 64th minute.

Juventus nearly retook the lead in the 69th minute as Andrea Pirlo curled a fine free-kick on target. Handanovic initially appeared beaten, but the goalkeeper recovered in time to swat the ball away.

The hosts had a penalty appeal turned down in the 71st minute as substitute Alvaro Morata went to ground in the box following a challenge by Hugo Campagnaro. Replays suggested Campagnaro had made contact outside the box, but referee Luca Banti booked Morata for simulation.

Juve came close again in the 77th minute, Pogba heading just wide from a corner. Four minutes later at the other end, Inter came even closer, Icardi placing a potential tap-in wide after Podolski had crossed from the left.

Inter went down to 10 men in the 86th minute as Kovacic saw red for a reckless challenge on Juventus‘ Stephan Lichtsteiner.

Juventus were unable to take advantage of the numerical advantage, however, and the match finished in a 1-1 draw.

Grades

Reaction

To follow…

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Juventus fans have created impressive displays before, but this one might be the best yet.

The Bianconeri faithful choreographed this impressive sight for Tuesday’s Derby d’Italia against Inter Milan.

The Inter fans, for their part, responded with a ‘B’ to mock Juve’s brief spell in Serie B.

Brilliant work from both sets of supporters. 

[@FabDellaValle, @Marcocalcio22]

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