Stoke City have signed Bojan Krkic from Barcelona.
Krkic came through the youth ranks at Barca and became the youngest player to reach 100 games for the club before falling out of the first-team picture under former coach Pep Guardiola.
After spending time out on loan at Roma, AC Milan and Ajax over the past three seasons, the 23-year-old forward has opted to move to the Premier League, signing a four-year contract with Stoke.
Stoke manager Mark Hughes told the club’s official website: “Anyone who knows European football will be aware of him as a player and the fact that he sees his future at Stoke City is really exciting and an endorsement of the club itself.
“He’s desperate to prove himself in the Premier League and we’re pleased to be able to offer him that platform. The time he spends with the squad in Germany will help him settle in and will give myself and the coaches the chance to take a good look at him.”
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes added: “We are delighted to have signed such a richly talented and exciting player, who is still only 23.
“A number of other clubs had expressed an interest in him but Bojan believes joining Stoke City will benefit his career and we have no doubts he will prove to be a wonderful addition to our squad.
“The signing of Bojan, along with the other players we have recruited ahead of the new season, underlines the progress we are making as a club.”
Ian Horne
Ian goes back to the very early days of CrunchSports, having been tirelessly covering soccer, cricket and motorsports for us for over 10 years.