Stoke sign Nigeria's World Cup-bound midfielder Etebo from Feirense

Etebo, who will represent his country in this month's World Cup in Russia, is Stoke's first signing of the close season with the Potters paying 7.2 million euros (6.4 million pounds) for the 22-year-old.

"I'm particularly pleased that he took the time to look beyond our current league status and understand who we are as a club before choosing us ahead of current Premier League and Bundesliga clubs," Stoke's Chief Executive Tony Scholes said on the club's website https://www.stokecityfc.com/news/exclusive-potters-swoop-for-nigeria-star.

Stoke were relegated to the Championship after finishing 19th in the Premier League last season, leading to manager Paul Lambert's exit. He was replaced by Gary Rowett last month.

"Etebo is a very mobile, energetic midfielder and he's a great age. He has played in the top divisions in Portugal and Spain and, of course, he's heading into the World Cup with Nigeria which will be an amazing experience for him," Rowett said.

Etebo, who has 14 caps for Nigeria, joined Feirense in 2016 and made 45 appearances in Portugal's Primeira Liga, scoring seven goals.

(Reporting by Anirban Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)