The Chicago Fire and Xherdan Shaqiri have “mutually agreed” to terminate the midfielder’s contract, the team announced Wednesday.
The 32-year-old Swiss star joined the Fire in 2022 from French club Olympique Lyonnais for a club-record $7.5 million transfer fee. He totaled 16 goals and 20 assists in 75 matches for the Fire across all competitions, including two goals and two assists in 12 MLS games this season.
“I believe this is the right time for me to explore new opportunities in my career,” Shaqiri said in the team’s news release. “I want to thank the club and the fans for their support during my time in Chicago. I wish the Fire nothing but success moving forward.”
It’s the second major departure the Fire announced this week. On Monday, sporting director Georg Heitz said he will leave the team after this season and return to Switzerland “due to personal reasons.”
“Although the results have fallen short of our expectations,” Heitz said in a statement, “I am proud of our progress in other important areas and the working culture we’ve established, which will serve the organization well moving forward. With the move into a new performance center and added roster flexibility in the offseason, I am confident that the future is bright for this club.
“We also remain fully committed to qualifying for the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs and will give everything until the very last moment to achieve that goal.”
The Fire entered the Olympic break with a 6-12-7 record, placing them 14th in the 15-team Eastern Conference. They’ve missed the playoffs in 12 of the last 14 seasons, including six in a row, and haven’t won a playoff round since 2009.
Heitz was hired as sporting director before the 2020 season. Perhaps his most significant signing was that of his countryman Shaqiri, who had played for European powers Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Inter Milan.
At the time of the signing, Heitz called Shaqiri “a game-changing player … who will bring joy to our supporters and the city of Chicago” as well as “one of the most accomplished Swiss athletes of his generation.”
Shaqiri made 125 appearances for Switzerland, announcing his retirement from the national team after this summer’s European Championship.
Terminating his contract opens both a senior roster spot and an international slot for the Fire.