Stoke sign Giannelli Imbula for £18m

Big news coming out of Stoke, who announce they have smashed their transfer record with the £18.3million acquisition of 23-year-old defensive midfielder Giannelli Imbula from Porto.

The former France Under-21 international, who only moved to Porto for 20 million euros last summer, has signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Potters.

Stoke 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."