Liverpool have been dealt a blow in their chase for Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri, with the news that the talented Swiss international prefers a move to Serie A giants Inter Milan this month, as reported by the Daily Mail.

The Reds have been chasing Shaqiri since the summer, when a series of moves for him were blocked by Bayern’s hierarchy and manager Pep Guardiola.

However, the player remains unsettled at the Bundesliga leaders, having played very infrequently since the start of the season.

He has reportedly lost faith in Guardiola to play him with any regularity, and wants a move away from the club desperately.

Liverpool were hopeful of taking advantage of that with a bid of around £11 million, but Inter seem to have beaten them to the punch with a loan move.

JUST IN: Shaqiri joins Inter

— Tancredi Palmeri (@tancredipalmeri) January 8, 2015

Stoke City were also keen on a move, and their assistant manager yesterday confirmed their interest to the press.

Stoke City have confirmed their interest in signing Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri, putting them in direct competition with Liverpool for his signature, as reported by the Daily Star.

The Potters emerged as a shock potential destination for the highly talented Shaqiri a few days ago, as initially reported on this website.

Swiss international Shaqiri has been keen on a move away from Bayern since the summer, having found his opportunities incredibly limited at the German giants since the arrival of former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola.

However, the Bundesliga leaders refused to sanction his sale in the summer.

As a result, he’s pushed for an exit in the January transfer window.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a move in the recent past, and were thought to be on the cusp of an £11 million bid.

However, Stoke could rival them, with assistant manager Mark Bowen confirming that his side are keen on the winger’s signature.

He said: “He’s definitely on the list, but there is competition for a player of his ability.

“There are other clubs interested, but it doesn’t mean we rule ourselves out.

Liverpool face competition from another Premier League side in their chase for Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri, with Stoke City having been made aware of his availability, as reported by Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, according to James Horncastle.

More clubs waking up to Shaqiri availability. In addition to Inter + Liverpool, @DiMarzio reporting Valencia, Monaco + … Stoke inquiring

— James Horncastle (@JamesHorncastle) January 5, 2015

The Swiss international winger has been heavily linked with a move to the Reds since the summer, but at that point, Bayern were not willing to part with him.

However, the situation has seemingly changed in recent weeks, and Shaqiri can now seemingly move on.

Inter Milan and Juventus are other clubs thought to be keen on signing him, and they were believed to be Liverpool’s greatest rivals.

However, the Anfield club had an advantage over them – they would be willing to sign him on a permanent basis for £11 million, while the Serie A duo were only willing to sign him on loan.

It now seems they might face competition from Stoke, who would undoubtedly benefit from the addition of the ultra talented wide player.