Former Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic has joined the Montreal Impact on a free transfer, signing a contract that will keep him there until December 2020 with options for the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the club announced on Wednesday.

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"Bojan is a very talented player who, at 28 years old, chose the Impact to pursue his career, after having played for some of the biggest clubs in the world," Impact manager Remi Garde said in a team statement.

"His offensive ability to get others involved in the game and to score goals will be of precious help for the final stretch of the season. I welcome him to our club."

The Spaniard, who was acquired by the MLS club with allocation money, was released by English second-tier side Stoke on Tuesday, having spent five seasons with the club.

He will be presented at half-time of the club's Canadian Championship semifinal home match against Cavalry FC on Wednesday night.

Bojan started his career at Barcelona and was part of the 2009 Treble-winning side, as well as the team that won the Champions League again two years later.

In the summer of 2011, he joined Roma before moving to Milan on loan in the following campaign. He returned to Camp Nou in 2014, only to be immediately loaned to Ajax, where he won the Eredivisie title.

He moved to Stoke a year later and stayed for five seasons, two of which were spent on loan at German side Mainz and Alaves in La Liga.

Meanwhile, Barcelona have also confirmed that winger Ballou Tabla has returned to the Impact on loan until the end of the year.

Ballou, 20, joined Barca's B team in 2018 but spent the second half of last season on loan at Albacete in the Spanish second division.

The Canada international, who was born in the Ivory Coast, returns to the Impact for his third spell at the club.

He first joined the club in 2012, leaving in 2013 before returning again in 2015, eventually making his first-team debut in 2017.