Premier League side Stoke City officially announced on Monday the signing of Cameroonian forward Maxim Choupo-Moting on a three-year deal. The 28-year-old joined the Potters on a free transfer after leaving Schalke this summer following three years at the Bundesliga side. Stoke officials have been searching for replacements for midfield duo Marko Arnautovic and Glenn Whelan, who both left the club earlier this summer. Choupo-Moting will be in a hot race with teammates Xherdan Shaqiri, Darren Fletcher, Ibrahim Afellay and Egypt's Ramadan Sobhi to book a place in Stoke's starting line-up in the new season. Maxim, who represented Cameroon in both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups, scored three goals in 30 appearances for Schalke last season. Stoke City ended the English Premier League last season at the 13th place with 44 points, 49 points behind champions Chelsea. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)