Staffordshire, England: Manager Mark Hughes has made his second signing since arriving at Stoke City, bringing in young defender Marc Muniesa from Barcelona.
According to guardian.co.uk, Muniesa arrives at the Britannia Stadium on a four-year deal. He has significant pedigree after helping Spain win last month's European Under-21 Championship. His signing follows that of PSV Eindhoven's defender Erik Pieters.
Muniesa made his La Liga debut with Barca as a 17-year-old and was an unused substitute for the Champions League final success over Manchester United in 2009. But the 21-year-old, who can operate at left-back or in the heart of defence, has more recently been a fixture in the Barcelona B team.
"Marc has been well-schooled by Barça. Technically, he's a very good player and I've no doubts he will be an excellent addition to our squad," Hughes said. "I know he's very highly regarded in Spain and was attracting interest from clubs in La Liga, but he's an ambitious young man and wants to test himself in English football."
Hughes spent a season at Camp Nou as a player in the late 1980s and Stoke's chief executive, Tony Scholes, said the manager's contacts with Barça had helped to seal the deal. "The whole process was greatly helped by Mark Hughes's links with Barcelona," he said.
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