Shaqiri record signing for Stoke

Posted Wednesday, August 12, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has pulled off a massive coup with the acquisition of Xherdan Shaqiri from Internazionale for a club record fee of £12 million.

Stoke manager Mark Hughes has pulled off a massive coup with the acquisition of Xherdan Shaqiri from Internazionale for a club record fee of £12 million.

The Switzerland international, who had been linked with a move to the Britannia Stadium for a number of weeks, has finally put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the Potters.

Shaqiri becomes Hughes' eighth signing of the current transfer window and will link up with fellow new arrivals Shay Given, Glen Johnson, Joselu, Ibrahim Afellay, Marco van Ginkel, Philipp Wollscheid and Jakob Haugaard this week.

The 23-year-old winger only joined Inter during the January transfer window from Bayern Munich and went on to make 20 appearances in all competitions for Roberto Mancini's side, scoring three goals.

Hughes told the club's official website: "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."

Stoke 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."