Stoke City have signed Austria defender Moritz Bauer from Rubin Kazan for an undisclosed fee.
Bauer, 25, has signed a four-and-a-half year contract at the bet365 Stadium.
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said the club had targeted the right-back prior to the dismissal of manager Mark Hughes at the weekend.
"Moritz is a player we have been trailing for some time and was someone Mark Hughes wanted to bring into the club," Scholes told the club's official website.
🖊️ #SCFC have signed Austrian international Moritz Bauer from Rubin Khazan for an undisclosed fee.#WelcomeMoritz 🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/uOka5I5655
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) January 9, 2018
"Moritz came over to England last week to undergo his medical and discuss terms and we have now been able to conclude his transfer."
Stoke, who hope to have a boss in place before their next fixture on Monday night against Manchester United, are in the top-flight's relegation zone and have conceded a league-high 47 goals in 22 games.
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
