Liverpool’s summer transfer programme has accelerated with the probability of at least one target being secured inside the next 24 hours increasing dramatically.

While the club’s chances of signing Nabil Fekir ahead of the World Cup became much greater when Lyon’s president accepted that the player only wishes to move to Anfield, progress was made on a deal for Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri.

Jürgen Klopp has identified the need for two new creative additions capable of functioning in a number of attacking positions.

Premier League summer transfer targets Show all 16 1 /16 Premier League summer transfer targets Premier League summer transfer targets Gareth Bale (Real Madrid to Manchester United) TOPSHOT - Real Madrid's Welsh forward Gareth Bale celebrates after scoring the the 3-1 during the UEFA Champions League final football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine on May 26, 2018. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets Jorginho (Napoli to Manchester City) Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham to Manchester United) LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Toby Alderweireld of Tottenham Hotspur waits in the tunnel prior to The Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Tottenham Hotspur and Newport County at Wembley Stadium on February 7, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images) Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Monaco to Manchester City) Kylian Mbappé has already hit 19 goals this season Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Alex Sandro (Juventus to Manchester United) Real Madrid's Spanish midfielder Lucas Vazquez (L) vies with Juventus' Brazilian defender Alex Sandro during the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Juventus FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 11, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU (Photo credit should read PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets Leon Bailey (Bayer Leverkusen to Manchester City) Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City to Manchester City) Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Nabil Fekir (Lyon to Liverpool) Premier League summer transfer targets Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich to Chelsea) Robert Lewandowski's time at Bayern Munich looks to be coming to a close Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Alisson (Roma to Liverpool/Chelsea/Arsenal) Alisson will be going nowhere this summer Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Steven N’Zonzi (Sevilla to Arsenal) MADRID, SPAIN - APRIL 21: Steven N'Zonzi of Sevilla FC looks on during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Sevilla at Wanda Metropolitano on April 21, 2018 in Madrid, . (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images) Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon to Everton) Carvalho has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Matthijs de Ligt (Ajax to Manchester City) Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt (L) vies with Lyon's French midfielder Clement Grenier during a friendly football match between Olympique Lyonnais and Ajax Amsterdam on July 18, 2017 at the Pierre Rajon stadium in Bourgoin-Jallieu. / AFP PHOTO / JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK (Photo credit should read JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets Jack Butland (Stoke City to Liverpool) England's goalkeeper Jack Butland is pictured during the International friendly football match between England and Italy at Wembley stadium in London on March 27, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Ian KINGTON (Photo credit should read IAN KINGTON/AFP/Getty Images) AFP/Getty Images Premier League summer transfer targets Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace to Tottenham) Getty Premier League summer transfer targets Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid to Chelsea) Getty

Shaqiri’s £12m release clause at Stoke City marks the 26-year-old as low-risk and a bargain, making him more attainable.

Though Fekir is expected to cost a considerably bigger fee in a process with more complications, the midfielder has made it clear to all parties involved – with the help of Jean-Pierre Bernès, the highly influential agent from Marseille – that he does not see his future anywhere other than Merseyside.

The Lyon president is the legendary Jean-Michel Aulas and across Europe, he holds the same sort of status as Daniel Levy, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur – someone determined and experienced enough to command prime fees for whomever he sells.

Aulas, though, prides himself on the success of Lyon’s youth academy and he believes Fekir’s successor is already in place. Nineteen-year-old Houssem Aouar has made impressive strides in his development over the last 12 months.

Lyon prefer to sell Fekir before the World Cup in case he doesn’t feature for France (AFP)

Crucially, Fekir did not feature last weekend when France defeated Italy 3-1 in Nice and with manager Didier Deschamps – another of Bernès’s clients – preferring a midfield trio comprising of Corentin Tolisso, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, Aulas has realised a pre-World Cup agreement might be the most profitable way of moving forward because ultimately at this stage Liverpool will have to calculate the potential of summer performance into their offer.

Shaqiri is confident of securing a move away from relegated Stoke City (Getty) (Getty Images)

While France host United States in Lyon on Saturday, Switzerland take on Japan in Lugano on Friday, leaving Thursday as the last realistic day to complete deals before both nations head to Russia before their opening fixtures against Australia and Brazil respectively.