Newcastle "Bid £13.5m" In Attempt To Hijack Stoke's Move For World Cup Hat-Trick Hero

Are NUFC now throwing their hat into the ring for Shaqiri's signature?

By Chris Waugh /

Newcastle United are attempting to hijack Stoke City's move for Inter Milan winger Xherdan Shaqiri by supposedly offering £13.5 million (‚19 million) for the Swiss international, according to an Italian journalist. Tancredi Palmeri - who appears regularly on BeIn Sports, writes for Gazetta dello Sport and has more than 118,000 Twitter followers - claims that Newcastle's supposed bid is £1.5 million more than Stoke's offer of £12 million (‚17 million). He also claims that Everton have matched the Potters' bid - although Sky Sports now report that Shaqiri is undergoing a medical ahead of his move to Stoke. However, he also suggests that Shaqiri is close to agreeing personal terms with the Potters - if they haven't been reached already after he was pictured in the crowd at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday for Stoke's 1-0 loss to Liverpool - and so Newcastle could still miss out despite supposedly offering a higher fee to Inter. What's more, The Chronicle's Lee Ryder is adamant Newcastle have not placed a bid for the winger. https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/630651838145167362 https://twitter.com/tancredipalmeri/status/630654182660415488 https://twitter.com/lee_ryder/status/630703843328819200 Supposedly offered to several Premier League clubs by his representatives this summer, Everton, Stoke and Schalke 04 are just three of the other teams touted as potential destinations. Born in Gjilan, Yugoslavia, in modern-day Albania, Shaqiri€™s family emigrated to Switzerland and he has made 46 international appearances for his adopted nation, scoring on 17 occasions - including a hat-trick against Honduras during the 2014 World Cup group stages. Having started his career at FC Basel in Switzerland, for who he scored 23 goals in 130 appearances, Shaqiri moved to Bayern Munich in 2012. After netting 17 times in 81 games, Shaqiri then joined Inter in January and scored three times in 20 appearances, yet he is believed to be unsettled at the San Siro. Shaqiri has claimed five league titles, four domestic cups, the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA World Club Cup during his career already, despite being only 23. For all the latest NUFC News, Views and Transfers make sure to follow whatculture.com/NUFC on Twitter and Facebook.