Topics: MLS, Xherdan Shaqiri, Olympique Lyon, Chicago Fire
The attacker joins the American club as their most-expensive signing ever.

Former Liverpool and Stoke City player Xherdan Shaqiri has joined the Chicago Fire from Lyon. The Swiss joins the Fire's roster as a Designated Player, making him the club's most costly signing ever.

The Major League Soccer club made the announcement of the player's acquisition on Wednesday but did not disclose the full terms of the deal. According to MLSsoccer.com’s Tom Bogert, the club paid a transfer free of around $7.5 million. Shaqiri's contract is also expected to run through to the 2024 season.

"We're extremely pleased to formally welcome Xherdan Shaqiri to the Fire," Chicago sporting director Georg Heitz said. "Xherdan is a game-changing player and someone who will bring joy to our supporters and the city of Chicago. As one of the most accomplished Swiss athletes of his generation, Xherdan joins us at a very important time for the club and fully believes in what we are aiming to accomplish. We look forward to welcoming him and his family to Chicago very soon."

Shaqiri joins the fire on the back of an illustrious career that has seen him gather 17 trophies across spells with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool, as well as Basel, Lyon and Stoke City. This season, the 30-year-old attacker has not gotten up to speed yet, scoring two goals in 11 league appearances for Lyon. In total, he has made 421 appearances across all competitions in his career.