Mario Vrancic: Stoke midfielder joins Croatian club Rijeka on loan for season

Mario Vrancic won the Championship title with Norwich in 2019 and 2021 before joining Stoke last summer

Stoke midfielder Mario Vrancic has joined Croatian club Rijeka on a season-long loan.

The 33-year-old was a regular for the Potters last season, making 35 appearances in all competitions and scoring three goals.

Vrancic won the Championship twice in three seasons with Norwich before joining Stoke last summer.

Manager Michael O'Neill said Vrancic had asked to move to Rijeka and that Stoke "wished him every success".

"Mario came to us and told us how appealing this move was to him and we felt that we could not stand in his way," added O'Neill.

The Bosnia-Herzegovina international departs a month after agreeing to extend his deal with Stoke until the end of next season.

Stoke finished 14th in the Championship, 13 points outside the play-offs, after 17 wins from 46 games.

Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

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