Stoke City have signed Wales midfielder Joe Allen
from Liverpool.
The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-
year contract after the clubs agreed a reported
£13 million fee.
Allen has struggled for playing time under Jurgen
Klopp at Anfield, having been restricted to mainly
Europa League appearances last season.
But he was one of the stars of the Wales squad
which reached the semifinals at Euro 2016 earlier
this summer.
Stoke's bid met Liverpool's valuation of a player
with less than 12 months remaining on his
contract and means they recouped most of the
£15m they paid Swansea four years ago.
Allen told the club's official website: "It's been a
whirlwind 48 hours for me, but I am delighted to
have finally been able to put pen to paper.
"I was really excited as soon as I heard of the
club's interest and it wasn't a difficult decision for
me to make. I am incredibly excited about my
future here at Stoke City."
Allen will fly out to link up with his new team-
mates in Orlando on Tuesday after becoming
manager Mark Hughes' second summer signing, a
few hours after Egypt winger Ramadan Sobhi
arrived from Al Ahly.
Potters chief executive Tony Scholes added: "Joe
is a player that Mark has admired for a
considerable amount of time.
BREAKING | Stoke City are delighted to announce
the signing of Joe Allen from @LFC on a 5-year
deal #SCFC pic.twitter.com/3XqQ8EFyyk
- Stoke City FC (@stokecity) July 25, 2016
"Therefore when we became aware of the
possibility of bringing him to the club it was
something that we were determined to do.
"We have had to act swiftly to conclude the deal
but we are delighted that we have managed to get
it over the line."
Allen joins winger Sobhi at the Britannia Stadium
after Stoke agreed a fee which could rise to €6m
(£5m) for the 19-year-old, who has been capped
six times by his country.
Scholes said: "We are absolutely delighted to
have signed a player of Ramadan's undoubted
quality and potential.
"He's a special young talent who is excited about
the prospect of making an impact in the Premier
League and we're looking forward to giving him
that platform."
Sobhi has been granted a work permit and is
expected to receive his UK visa in the next 48
hours. He should then join his new teammates in
Orlando later this week.
He is a graduate of the Al Ahly youth system and
made his professional debut as a 16-year-old,
earning his first international cap a year later.
He helped Al Ahly win the Egyptian League title
last season under former Tottenham and Fulham
manager Martin Jol.
Stoke have also tabled a £17m bid, rising to
£20m with add-ons, for West Brom's Saido
Berahino.
Posted Africa News Sports
Chapisha Maoni