Chelsea has confirmed the signing of Germany forward Andre Schurrle from Bayern Leverkusen for £18m.
“I am so happy now that I have signed and it is an honour for me to play for this club, with this team and for these great fans,” Schurrle told Chelsea FC’s official website. “I am really looking forward to it.”
The Blues agreed a fee with the Bundesliga club on the 13th of June for the 22-year-old, who began his professional career at local club Ludwigshafener SC, before moving to Mainz in 2009. He will be new boss Jose Mourinho’s first signing since returning back to Stamford Bridge from Madrid.
Schurrle made his Bundesliga debut against Leverkusen, a club he was later going to serve, in a match that ended 2-2 on the opening day of the 2009/10 season.
After witnessing an impressive first season at Mainz, scoring five goals in 34 appearances as the club finished ninth, it was announced that Schurrle had signed a five-year contract with Leverkusen, and will join the club at the culmination of 2010/11 season. At the end of the 2011 season, the forward had already netted 20 times in 66 appearances for Mainz.
He made 40 appearances during his first season at Leverkusen, scoring nine goals in the process.
Schurrle’s second season at Leverkusen was more productive in terms of goal scoring, but his overall contribution, playing predominantly wide on the left, impressed the most.
A versatile attacker, Schurrle can play either as a creative wide player or a central striker. His ability to drift inside from either flank is one of his biggest strengths and he has developed a penchant for scoring goals of the spectacular variety.
The forward ended the 2012/13 season, and his time at Leverkusen, having scored 18 goals in 65 appearances.
He earned his first call-up to full international duty in November 2010, having played at both the U-19 and U-21 level for Germany. He has scored seven goals in 24 appearances for Germany.
