Inter Milan winger Xherdan Shaqiri has joined Stoke City for a club-record fee of £12 million. Stoke’s previous record signing was Peter Crouch, for whom they paid Tottenham Hotspur £10 million in 2011.
BREAKING | City complete Club record £12m deal for Xherdan Shaqiri #WelcomeShaqiri #SCFC pic.twitter.com/YpTaFEHURU
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 11, 2015
The 23-year-old has signed a five-year deal with Stoke to become the clubs ninth signing of the summer and will wear the number 22 in the 2015-16 campaign.
Shaqiri, who has scored 17 goals in 46 international appearances for Switzerland, began his career with Basel before transferring to Bayern Munich for £8 million in 2012, where was part of the club’s 2012-13 treble-winning side. Last January, he moved to Inter Milan, for whom he scored three goals in 20 games.
Stoke Manager Mark Hughes had almost given up on attaining Shaqiri after he failed to agree a deal by a deadline set by Stoke last month, but on Tuesday, Hughes succeeded in procuring the Swiss forward.
Hughes said of the player, “He’s a dynamic and explosive player who will bring something different to the group and at the age of 23 he still has a great deal of potential. In the chats I’ve had with him it’s obvious that he’s excited about playing in the Premier League and showing what he’s capable of.”
Chief Executive Tony Scholes added,
“It’s no secret that we have been pursuing Xherdan for some time now and we are delighted to have finally secured his signature.
“He’s an exciting young player who is really looking forward to playing in the Premier League having played at the very highest level in Germany with Bayern Munich and in Italy with Inter.
“Xherdan will be a fantastic addition to our squad and adds to the attacking options at the manager’s disposal.”
Shaqiri will get a chance to link up with his new teammates before Saturday, when the Potters face Tottenham.
