Schalke have officially completed the signing of former Stuttgart striker Ciprian Marica. The Gelsenkirchen side announced the player’s capture on their official website on Friday.

The 25-year-old Romania international has penned a two-year deal, after being released from Stuttgart with still a year remaining on his contract

Marica will be reunited with sporting director Horst Heldt, who was instrumental in bringing him to Stuttgart in 2007.

“Ciprian fits perfectly into our sporting plans,” Heldt said according to the official Schalke website.
“He knows the Bundesliga, speaks several languages and comes on a free transfer. We are very happy the transfer worked out, as several big clubs in Europe showed a strong interest in him.”

The striker scored just 19 goals in 93 Bundesliga appearances during his four-year stay in Swabia, and particularly over the last season had been in conflict with his superiors at the club.

Marica nonetheless had a number of potential suitors, including Lokomotiv Moscow and Dinamo Bucharest. However, he has chosen Schalke, where he will team up with the likes of Raul and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in attack.