Southampton boss Mark Hughes eyeing £20million Stoke ace Xherdan Shaqiri this summer
New Saints chief signed Swiss wideman for Potters in £12m deal in 2015 and admires the pace and spark he injects
Sponsored by
MARK HUGHES would love to make Xherdan Shaqiri his first big signing for Southampton, according to reports.
Hughes signed the Swiss star for Stoke in 2015 from Inter Milan, and the says he wants a reunion with attacking midfielder.
Seven goals this season for the under-performing Potters underline Shaqiri's value.
He cost then-Stoke boss Hughes £12m and is worth almost double that amount now.
As Stoke bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League, wideman Shaqiri has often looked on a different level to the rest of the team.
Should they go down no-one could blame a world class player of his natural ability wanting better than the Championship.
Southampton Transfer Stories
At 26, Shaqiri still has bags to offer and he would inject the pace and spark that Southampton have been missing this season.
Saints - who were not considered relegation candidates at the start of the season - currently sit just one place above Stoke, also in the Prem's bottom three.
WRAP UP RAPH Man Utd plotting £50m swoop for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane
But Hughes' appointment following Mauricio Pellegrino's sacking has brought new optimist that they could beat the drop.
Interestingly, Shaqiri's seven goals would leave him as Southampton's top goalscorer in the top flight.
He also has six assists - double the number of any of the Saints' players.
Dusan Tadic, Nathan Redmond and Ryan Bertrand all have just three.
Hughes has eight games to secure Southampton's safety after Pellegrino earned just five league wins all season.
How to win £1MILLION with Sun Six
SUN SIX is the new predictor game where you can win £1million - just by correctly picking the results of six games.
Here is how to get your mitts on the million:
- Make your picks - predict the scores from these six games
- Enter your details - quickly sign up to Sun Bets so we can contact you
- Score £1m - Watch the scores roll in and you can win £1m
Top pundits IAN WRIGHT and DANNY HIGGINBOTHAM have made their picks for this week if you need a steer.
And remember, you can claim a free £30 bet with Sun Bets when you sign up put a tenner on this weekend's football .
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
The Welshman, 54, earned his first victory as Saints beat Wigan to book an FA Cup semi-final place against Chelsea.
Hughes' short-term deal is set to expire in the summer but keeping Southampton up in the Premier League will see the Welshman earn an extension.