Andreas Beck has returned to VfB Stuttgart on a permanent basis, signing a two-year deal with the club he began his professional career with back in 2000.
The right-back, who will wear the number 32 shirt for The Swabians, returns to Germany having spent the last two seasons in the Turkish Süper Lig with Beşiktaş.
Beck won the Süper Lig twice with the Black Eagles and played in both the Champions League and Europa League during his time in Turkey.
Defender adds more experience to Stuttgart's backline
Stuttgart sporting director Michael Reschke told vfb.de that the availability of Beck "was a surprise for us" but that the 30-year-old "brings a lot of experience" to their defence.
Reschke went on to say that Beck will be an "important and stabilising influence in our team" as the club look to survive in their first season back in the Bundesliga following last season's 2.Bundesliga title.
An important factor in the transfer was that Stuttgart "like [Beck] as a person", with his "high level of commitment and the right mentality" to succeed leaving Reschke "very happy that we pulled this transfer off at the last minute."
Beck admitted that he is "very happy to be back in Stuttgart" and added that it is a "very emotional return for me" as he "took [his] first steps as a professional here."
He added that he "wouldn’t have signed for any other club" as he "was happy in Istanbul and Beşiktaş", but is now "looking forward to being a part of [Stuttgart] and [will] give everything on and off the pitch to achieve success."
The defender admitted that he had been following Stuttgart as they secured the 2.Bundesliga title last season saying that he "cheered on during the promotion season", adding that it was "extremely impressive how the fans have created this great enthusiasm for the club in the region" despite relegation.
Beck returns to Bundesliga after two-year absence
Beck first broke through to Stuttgart's first-team in the 2005/06 season and made four appearances as the club won the Bundesliga title the following season.
He became an important member of the squad and played 24 times the following season including two matches in the Champions League against Olympique Lyonnais and Rangers.
The 30-year-old moved to fellow Bundesliga side Hoffenheim in 2008 and became a key player for achtzehn99, making 237 appearances across seven seasons before joining Beşiktaş in 2015.
Beck has also won nine caps for Germany since making his senior debut against Norway in February 2009, although he has not played for his country since November 2010.