Stoke have smashed their transfer record for a second
time this week after landing Manchester United's Ryan Shawcross in
a £2million deal.
Stoke, who made £1.2million Leon Cort their record signing on
Monday, have been in talks with Shawcross for a number of weeks in
a bid to make his loan move a permanent one.
And the highly-rated defender has now put pen to paper on a
three-and-a-half-year deal after the Potters fought off competition
from a number of other clubs, some believed to be from the Premier
League.
The Championship side will play £1million up front, with a further
£750,000 based on appearances and £250,000 on the club's
success.
Shawcross has scored seven goals in 28 appearances on loan at the
Britannia Stadium this season and City boss Tony Pulis could not
hide his delight to land the youngster full-time.
"I am absolutely delighted to have signed Ryan permanently," he
said.
"He has been fantastic for us this season and he will continue to
get even better.
"Everyone has been working extremely hard behind the scenes to tie
up the deal, and we have beaten off several other clubs to his
signature which shows we are moving in the right direction."
