REVEALED: How Liverpool Target Xherdan Shaqiri Was Blocked From Reds Move in 2014

As Liverpool reignite their interest in signing Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke, an old interview has re-emerged revealing that Shaqiri wanted to join the Reds in 2014 but wasn't allowed to leave by Bayern Munich.

Shaqiri was hot property that summer despite falling out of favour at Bayern and Liverpool were leading a pack of several clubs in the race for the Swiss international's signature.

Then under the stewardship of Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool were coming off the back of one of their best ever Premier League campaigns, in which they finished second behind Manchester City.

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And Shaqiri, who scored a hat-trick for Switzerland at the World Cup that summer, was enthusiastic about the prospect of joining the Reds revolution.

"I really wanted to go in the summer and had offers from Liverpool and Atletico Madrid," he said in a 2016 interview, revisited by the Liverpool Echo. 

"I chose Liverpool, Brendan Rodgers had called me several times before the World Cup, but Bayern didn't allow me to leave. There were then various discussions in which it became a bit louder.

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"The Bayern officials believed that the situation would change through the season, but it didn't. That's how it happened."

Shaqiri would instead join Inter in January 2015, before completing a surprise move to the Potteries later that year. He has never properly found his feet in England though, scoring just 15 goals in over 80 Premier League appearances.

However, Jurgen Klopp has a habit of getting the best out of underperforming players and has seen enough potential in Shaqiri to pursue an interest in the £12m man.

If Liverpool can complete the deal it will be their third signing of the summer after Naby Keita and Fabinho, with Nabil Fekir also in the pipeline.