Tottenham Hotspur have announced the capture of German international midfielder Lewis Holtby from Bundesliga side Schalke.
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The 22-year-old former Alemannia Aachen player, who joined The Royal Blues in 2009, will link up with the Premier League side when his contract expires in July, subject to him passing a medical.
Spurs beat off competition from Arsenal and Liverpool to land the boyhood Everton fan.
A German international with an English father from Liverpool, Holtby is the current German Under-21 captain, however, he has made three appearances for the senior international team.
A statement on the official Tottenham website said: "We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Germany Under-21 captain Lewis Holtby to join the Club in July from Bundesliga side Schalke, subject to a medical.
"The creative midfielder began his professional career with Alemannia Aachen and his impressive performances in the German second division soon caught the attention of a number of top-flight Bundesliga sides before he made the move to Schalke in the summer of 2009.
"He enjoyed loan spells with Bochum and Mainz prior to making his breakthrough at Schalke. To date, he has made 75 appearances for the Gelsenkirchen-based club in all competitions, scoring 11 times as well as earning three caps for the senior German national side."
Tottenham assistant manager Steffen Freund feels Holtby will adapt well to life in England.
"For Lewis it would not be a problem because he is half-English and loves the Premier League," Freund told the Guardian. "I know him, he is the captain of the German Under-21 team and will lead them at the European Championship in Israel next summer.
"He is out of contract at the age of 22. I don't think I have to say any more. I don't know him well but what I can say is that he is a really good player."
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