AMSTERDAM – Stoke City forward Juan Agudelo has personally confirmed a weekend report that he is joining FC Utrecht on loan until the end of the season.
As revealed by ESPN's Marc Stein on Friday evening, the Eredivisie battlers won a race for the 21-year-old that also included FC Twente and Belgian leaders Standard Liège. Agudelo confirmed the move on his Twitter account on Sunday afternoon.
Though Stoke have yet to even officially announce Agudelo's acquisition, MLSsoccer.com reported last week that a pre-deal signed back in August stands intact despite an eventual work permit denial from the UK Home Office. As such, he went onto the club's books on January 1 and has since posted an Instagram photo of himself in team training.
The work permit rejection is what forced the Potters to look around for a loan home where Agudelo could enjoy playing time to aid the club's next attempt at securing Agudelo's paperwork, which can come no sooner than March.
Currently on a three-game losing slide, Utrecht stand ninth in the Eredivisie through 19 games. Following Wednesday's KNVB Cup quarterfinal trip to NEC Nijmegen, the Galgenwaard crew will stay on the road for Saturday's league visit to Roda JC.
