Schalke have signed striker Ciprian Marica, a fortnight after his contract at Stuttgart was cancelled.

GettyImagesCiprian Marica has signed for Schalke on a free transfer

• Marica leaves Stuttgart

Marica, 25, was said to have undergone talks with Blackburn recently, but he has opted to remain in the Bundesliga and signed a two-year deal with Schalke.

"He knows the Bundesliga, speaks many languages and, above all, is a free transfer," Schalke's sporting director Horst Heldt told the club's official website.

"We are happy the transfer has come off, because several well-known European clubs were also very interested in signing the player."

Marica's Stuttgart contract, which had been due to expire next summer, was terminated by mutual consent earlier this month. He had joined the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2007.