Fulham have signed German World Cup-winning forward Andre Schurrle on loan from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year old former Chelsea player will join the Craven Cottage side for the next two seasons.
Schurrle won the World Cup with Germany in 2014 but did not make the squad for this summer's tournament.
Schurrle played for Chelsea from 2013-15 and won a Premier League winners medal in 2015 despite leaving the club for Wolfsburg part-way through the season. He has been at Dortmund since July 2016 and has 57 caps for Germany.
Fulham FC statement
The Club is delighted to confirm the arrival of World Cup winner André Schürrle on loan from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year old forward has agreed a deal that keeps him at Craven Cottage for the next two seasons.
André will wear the number 14 shirt for the Whites.
Having come through the ranks at FSV Mainz 05, Schürrle’s breakthrough for the senior side came in the 2009/10 season when he scored five times in 33 appearances, but the following term was when he really began to take the Bundesliga by storm.
In the same number of matches, Schürrle trebled his goal tally to 15 in 2010/11, in addition to laying on five assists, which helped Mainz finish in an impressive fifth position.
That form prompted Bayer Leverkusen to part with a reported €8m for the 19-year-old’s signature in the summer of 2011.
Schürrle’s time at Leverkusen saw him sample UEFA Champions League football while still in his teens, playing eight times in his maiden campaign as they reached the knock-out stages where they were eliminated by Barcelona.
He spent two years with Leverkusen as they secured fifth and third place finishes in the Bundesliga, scoring 23 times across all competitions.
A move to the Premier League beckoned in June 2013, when Jose Mourinho brought him to Chelsea for a reported £18m. He scored nine goals for the Blues that season, including a hat-trick at Craven Cottage in a 3-1 win.
He departed Stamford Bridge midway through the 2014/15 season to join VfL Wolfsburg for a reported £22m, but played sufficient games for Chelsea in the first half of the campaign to earn a Premier League winner’s medal.
The Wolves finished second in the Bundesliga and also won the DFB-Pokal, Germany’s domestic cup competition, in his first term at the club. In his season and a half with Wolfsburg, Schürrle netted 13 times and provided 10 assists, before making the switch to Dortmund two years ago.
There he helped the team to third and fourth place Bundesliga finishes, while he claimed another DFB-Pokal winner’s medal in 2017.
A seasoned international, Schürrle made his Germany debut days after his 20th birthday in November 2010, and now has an impressive 57 caps to his name, in which he’s scored 22 goals.
His finest moments for the national team came in 2014 when he played in six of Germany’s seven matches at the World Cup.
Schürrle famously grabbed a brace in the 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the Semi-Final, before coming off the bench to set up Mario Götze for the winner in the Final against Argentina.
After signing, Schürrle told fulhamfctv: “I’m so happy to be here, I can’t wait to get started. Fulham were the first club that showed interest in me - that was something that I appreciated a lot, and one of the reasons I wanted to come here.
“I love ball possession, I love attacking, and I love making runs, so I think it could be perfect. I have to fight for my place and I have to show my quality so that I can be a member who really helps the team.”
Tony Khan added: “I’m thrilled to announce that the Fulham Football Club has signed André Schürrle on loan from Borussia Dortmund.
“André has been a top target for us, as he has for other clubs throughout Europe, so I’m very happy that our pursuit was successful.
“He has vast experience, having played in the Premier League, the Bundesliga and with the German National Team, including the squad that won the World Cup in 2014.
“We’re ecstatic that we have reached an agreement to add André, given his impeccable credentials and his tremendous skill, and can’t wait to see him in Fulham colours. Come on Fulham!”