Robert Huth: Has now made permanent switch from Stoke to Leicester

Leicester City have signed defender Robert Huth from Stoke City on a three-year deal.

The fee for the German centre-half, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Leicester, is thought to be in the region of £3m.

Huth took to his Twitter account to express his delight at the move minutes after the official announcement.

He tweeted: "STOKE YOU HAVE BEEN SENSATIONAL!!! Thanks for everything, I'll never forget it! Now the sexy football show rolls into Leicester!!"

The 30-year-old headed for the King Power Stadium in February and made 14 appearances as Leicester dragged themselves from the brink of relegation to the relative comfort of 14th place in the Premier League.

They lost only four of the games in which he played, with he, Wes Morgan and Marcin Wasilewski providing a sizeable barrier in front of 'keeper Kasper Schmeichel with City keeping five clean sheets in their final nine games, a run from which they claimed 22 of a possible 27 points.

Huth began his professional career at Chelsea, where he won two Premier League titles, before limited opportunities prompted him to head for Middlesbrough in 2006.

Boro's relegation at the end of the 2008-09 season saw him switch to Stoke, where he established himself as a regular at the heart of Tony Pulis' combative rearguard, making 187 appearances for the club.

Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said: "Robert has been a fantastic player for the club and a real fan's favourite.

"He's played a major part in the club's progression over the last few years and we wish him all the very best for the future."

Meanwhile, Sky sources understand that Leicester have also made a £7m bid for Huth's Stoke team-mate Steven Nzonzi.

It is believed that Nzonzi, who has one year left on his current deal, is keen on a move away from the Britannia Stadium and has rejected the offer of a new contract with the club.

Steven Nzonzi: Also subject of a bid from Leicester

Leicester's offer for the highly-rated French midfielder, whose performances last season earned him the players’ player and supporters’ player of the season awards at Stoke, is expected to be rejected.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes has already turned down a £3m bid from Spanish side Sevilla for the midfielder who has also been linked with Aston Villa and West Ham.

Nzonzi, who began his career with Amiens in France, joined Blackburn Rovers in 2009 for £500,000 before moving to Stoke in a £3m deal in 2012.