Philipp Wollscheid has left Stoke to join Ligue 1 side Metz on a three-year deal, the French club have announced.
The 28-year-old joined Stoke from Mainz in January 2015, initially on loan but doing enough to earn a permanent move to the Potteries that summer.
He made a total of 56 appearances for the club but has fallen down the pecking order, spending part of last season on loan at Wolfsburg.
#Mercato C'est officiel, Philipp Wollscheid s'engage trois saisons avec les Grenats ! u27a1ufe0f https://t.co/7HpX3ieBRS pic.twitter.com/5jdBSNIBuw
— FC Metz u2628 (@FCMetz) August 30, 2017
The Potters' recruitment this summer of Kevin Wimmer, Bruno Martins Indi and Kurt Zouma confirmed his time at Stoke was over.