Premier League: Stoke City sign Joe Allen

Stoke City have completed the signing of Wales international midfielder Joe Allen from Liverpool for a transfer fee of 13 million pounds. Allen, aged 26, had just one year left on his contract with the Reds. Swansea also wanted to get him back from Liverpool after having sold him to the Anfield club in 2012 but Allen signed a five-year deal with the Potters. "It's been a whirlwind 48 hours for me but I am delighted to have finally been able to put pen to paper," said Allen. "I was really excited as soon as I heard of the club's interest and it wasn't a difficult decision to make." The Potters had already completed another transfer on the same day as Egyptian winger Ramadan Sobhi joined from Al Ahly for 5 million pounds. Allen didn't have the best of seasons at Liverpool as he was given just eight league starts, but he did a solid job at Euro 2016 to help Wales reach the last four. Swansea had made an offer of 8 million pounds for Allen but the bid was rejected by Liverpool. "Joe is a player that Mark Hughes has admired for a considerable amount of time," said Stoke City chief executive Tony Scholes. "We have had to act swiftly to conclude the deal but we are delighted that we have managed to get it over the line." Stoke City are 2/1 at Bet365 to finish inside the Premier League top ten next season.