The Chicago Fire are closing in on the transfer of Lyon attacker and Switzerland international Xherdan Shaqiri, a source confirmed to ESPN, adding that the Fire will pay a club-record fee of $7.5 million dollars to acquire the player.
MLSsoccer.com was the first to report the news.
Shaqiri is yet to agree personal terms and must complete a medical before the deal can be finalized, according to the source, but that the talks were far enough along that the Fire feel confident that it will get done.
The proposed deal was helped along by the fact that Fire sporting director Georg Heitz and Shaqiri have a longstanding relationship that dates back to when both were at Swiss side FC Basel, where the player began his professional career.
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If completed, the acquisition would amount to a huge signing for a Chicago team that has qualified for the MLS Cup playoffs just once in the past nine years.
Shaqiri, 30, has played for some of the world's biggest clubs, including Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool, as well as Basel, Lyon and Stoke City. Among the trophies that Shaqiri has won during his career are three Swiss Super League titles, three Bundesliga titles, one Premier League championship as well as two UEFA Champions League crowns.
This season, Shaqiri has two goals and three assists in 11 league appearances for Lyon.
At international level, Shaqiri has played 100 times for Switzerland, scoring 26 goals. He will take part in his fourth World Cup later this year.
