• Midfielder signs a five-year contract with Mark Hughes’s side • ‘I was really excited as soon as I heard of the club’s interest’

Stoke City have confirmed the signing of Joe Allen from Liverpool.

The 26-year-old has signed a five-year contract after the clubs agreed a fee believed to be in the region of £13m.

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Allen has struggled for playing time under Jürgen Klopp having been restricted to mainly Europa League appearances last season but the midfielder was one of the stars of the Wales squad who reached the semi-finals at Euro 2016 this summer.

Stoke’s bid met Liverpool’s valuation of a player with less than 12 months remaining on his contract and means they recoup most of the £15m they paid Swansea for Allen four years ago.

“It’s been a whirlwind 48 hours for me but I am delighted to have finally been able to put pen to paper,” he said. “I was really excited as soon as I heard of the club’s interest and it wasn’t a difficult decision for me to make. I am incredibly excited about my future at Stoke City.”

Allen will link up with his new team-mates in Orlando on Tuesday after becoming Mark Hughes’s second summer signing, a few hours after the Egypt winger Ramadan Sobhi arrived from Al Ahly.

Stoke’s chief executive, Tony Scholes, added: “Joe is a player that Mark has admired for a considerable amount of time. Therefore when we became aware of the possibility of bringing him to the club it was something that we were determined to do. We have had to act swiftly to conclude the deal but we are delighted that we have managed to get it over the line.”