Stoke City have signed former Olympiakos and Barcelona winger Ibrahim
Afellay on a free transfer, the Premier League club confirmed on Monday.
Afellay agreed a two-year contract with City and will link
up with his boss Mark Hughes and his new teammates on their pre-season tour of
France.
The 29-year-old Netherlands international - capped 50 times
- was available to move after his contract with Barcelona expired in the
close-season.
Former PSV Eindhoven star Afellay joins compatriots Erik
Pieters and Marco van Ginkel in the Stoke squad, along with former Barcelona
team-mates Bojan Krkic, Marc Muniesa and Moha El Ouriachi.
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told his club's website:
"It's no secret that Ibrahim was wanted by a number of clubs and we are
understandably delighted that he has chosen to join us.
"He's clearly excited about the prospect of playing in
the Premier League and the fact that he knows so many players who are already
at the club will no doubt help him settle into his new surroundings."
Afellay's time with Barcelona was disrupted by injury
problems and he made just 21 league appearances for the Spanish club, while
also spending time on loan at Schalke and Olympiakos.
He becomes Stoke's eighth close-season signing following the
arrivals of Philipp Wollscheid, Jakob Haugaard, Joselu, Van Ginkel, Glen
Johnson, Shay Given and Moha.
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