London - English Premier League club Stoke City completed the signing of Juan Agudelo on Tuesday only to loan the United States striker straight to Dutch side Utrecht.
Stoke failed to secure a British work permit for the 21-year-old, capped 17 times by the USA since making his international debut as a 17-year-old.
But they have decided to press ahead with a deal for Agudelo, whose contract with MLS side the New England Revolution expired last month, and have loaned him to Eredivisie side Utrecht ahead of re-applying for a work permit.
“We have signed Juan but he cannot play in this country, so we're loaning him out to Utrecht to allow him to not only develop his experience of playing in Europe but also to stay match sharp,” Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told the club's website.
The Potters failed in their initial attempt to secure a work permit for the player in November and must wait four months from the date of the original hearing before making a second attempt to bring Agudelo to England.
Sapa-AFP