Newcastle complete £5m signing of Stoke striker Joselu on three-year deal

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Newcastle have completed a deal for Stoke City star Joselu on a three-year deal for a fee in the region of £5million.

The 27-year-old forward follows summer signings Christian Atsu, Florian Lejeune, Jacob Murphy, Javier Manquillo and Mikel Merino to St James' Park.

Joselu made 27 appearances for the Potters following his arrival in 2015 and scored four goals before spending last season on loan at Spanish club Deportivo, where he scored five goals in 20 league appearances.

Spanish forward Joselu joins Newcastle from Stoke on a three-year deal for a fee of £5m

Joselu shakes the hand of his new manager Rafa Benitez after agreeing a move to the Magpies

'I feel very happy, because I have signed for a very big club. I'm very happy to be part of this club, and so excited,' Joselu told the club's official website.

'I'm looking forward to getting to know my teammates, the city, the training ground, the stadium and all the supporters. I'm very happy to be here.'

Rafa Benítez added: 'We have known Joselu since his days at the Real Madrid academy, and we know that he has the potential to do well for us.

'Obviously he has experience of English football and the Premier League and that was another thing we took into consideration. We think if we can exploit his full potential he will be a good signing for us.

'He knows and accepts the challenge we've given him at Newcastle United and he's keen to come and fight for a position in the team.'

Joselu made 27 appearances for the Potters following his arrival in 2015 and scored four goals

The 27-year-old dons the Newcastle shirt after becoming their sixth summer signing

Benitez has been targeting reinforcements to his attacking line in recent weeks and was forced to turn towards Joselu after being priced out of a move for Arsenal star Lucas Perez.  

The Spanish manager has frequently expressed his frustration at the lack of funds made available to him my owner Mike Ashley, who, in turn, has insisted he does not have the money available to compete for big transfers. 

Newcastle failed to score in their opening day defeat to Tottenham with Dwight Gayle acting as a lone frontman and the temperamental Aleksandar Mitrovic the only other option on the bench. 

Boss Rafa Benitez has been frustrated in his bid strengthen his squad for the Premier League