Stoke City seal Giannelli Imbula capture for club-record £18.3m

Stoke City have confirmed the capture of FC Porto midfielder Giannelli Imbula for a club-record £18.3m.

The Premier League side, who currently sit ninth in the league standings, have signed the former France Under-21 international on a five-and-a-half-year contract at the Britannia Stadium.

The 23-year-old, who was originally born in Belgium, made 21 appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese giants this season.

Potters boss Mark Hughes told the club’s official website, “Giannelli is a good young player.

“He has great power, good ability on the ball and a great range of passing and there’s no doubt he will add to the quality that we already have at the club.

“He played against us in pre-season and although I was already aware of him, seeing him at first hand resonated with me.”

Imbula is seen as a long-term replacement for fellow midfielder Steven N’Zonzi, who left Stoke for Sevilla back in the summer for a reported fee of £7m.