DONE DEAL! Stoke City sign ex-Barcelona forward Ibrahim Afellay in free transfer

Posted Tuesday, July 28, 2015 by Talksport.co.uk

DONE DEAL! Stoke City sign ex-Barcelona forward Ibrahim Afellay in free transfer
Stoke have confirmed the signing of former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay in free transfer.

Rumours circulated on Monday morning that the Potters were close to adding a fourth ex-Barca player to their ranks.

And the Premier League club have now announced the deal, with the 29-year-old penning a two-year contract.

Afellay - who won a host of honours during his time with Barcelona, including the Champions League - who has flown to France to join his new team-mates at their pre-season training camp in Evian.

The club said on their Twitter feed: "#SCFC are delighted to announce the signing of Dutch international winger Ibrahim Afellay."

Afellay arrives at the Britannia Stadium after his contract with Barcelona expired over the course of the summer.

Despite spending three seasons with the Catalan club, his time at Barce was disrupted by injury problems; making just 21 league appearances.

Capped 50 times by the Netherlands, he joins fellow countrymen Erik Pieters and Marco van Ginkel in the Stoke squad, along with former Barcelona team-mates Bojan Krkic, Marc Muniesa and Moha El Ouriachi.

Potters chief executive Tony Scholes told his club's official 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 becomes Stoke's eighth summer signing following the arrivals of Philipp Wollscheid, Jakob Haugaard, Joselu, Van Ginkel, Glen Johnson, Shay Given and Moha.