Reading have signed United States international Danny Williams from Hoffenheim.
The midfielder has signed a four-year deal after the Royals agreed an undisclosed fee with the German club.
Williams, 24, joins a squad already strengthened by the arrivals of Wayne Bridge and Royston Drenthe ahead of the Championship season.
He told the club's official website: "I am very excited to be here, I am really looking forward to the season and to try to get the club back to the Premier League.
"I spoke to the manager Nigel Adkins when I did my medicine check and he is a really great, nice guy. I'm looking forward to working with him.
"I would like to say to the Reading fans I will give 100% every game, I am proud to wear this jersey and will do everything to help this team back to the Premier League."
Director of football Nick Hammond said: "Danny is a versatile player, he possesses great energy and already has great experience in one of the top leagues in Europe.
"He is an international player and at 24 years of age still has plenty of development ahead of him, so we will be delighted to welcome him to the club."
The 22-year-old Germany international has signed a five-year deal following his move from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee reported to be £18million.
"Hopefully I can win a lot of titles in the next five years," Schurrle said on chelseafc.com.
"We have a great team with some very talented young players. We can all improve ourselves, and under Jose Mourinho I'm confident we can have a really great season.
"For this club, winning titles is always the main objective. We have a great young team with so much quality.
"We are capable of doing well in the Premier League, Champions League and the cup competitions as well, and I hope to play a big part."
It was announced on June 13 that Chelsea and Leverkusen had reached an agreement for his transfer and his move to Stamford Bridge was confirmed after paperwork was completed.
Schurrle was long linked with a switch to west London and discussed life in the capital with Mourinho at former Blue Michael Ballack's recent testimonial in Germany.
"I'm really looking forward to working with him (Mourinho)," Schurrle said.
"I got to know him at Michael Ballack's testimonial a few weeks ago where we talked a little bit.
"He gave me advice on where to live and also explained what he expects from me.
"He's a very good person with a big personality; he's a great manager so it's an absolute honour for me to now be one of his players."
Ballack's advice helped, too.
"We talked a lot about it," Schurrle said.
"I have a lot of contact with him, we send each other SMS messages regularly, so I spoke to him and he told me I had to make the move because Chelsea is a great club with great fans and great staff.
"Throughout my whole career Michael's been a big help to me, he's always there for me to offer advice and tell me what I can do better.
"At this club, a place where he played so well, it's really helpful for me."
Schurrle, who can play as a creative wide player or central striker, will wear the number 14 shirt. He has scored seven goals in 24 appearances for Germany, since making his debut in November 2010 while at Mainz, whom he joined from Ludwigshafener in 2009.
He signed for Leverkusen at the end of the 2010/11 season.
In his first campaign he scored nine times in 40 appearances and last term he netted 14 in 43 to earn his move to Stamford Bridge.
Schurrle knows Chelsea well, having watched from afar.
"I wanted to come here so I think I watched every single Chelsea game (last season)," he added.
"They finished the season very strongly; finishing third was very important for the club, qualifying for the Champions League without having to go through the qualifiers, so the last month in particular was very good."
He believes his best position is on the flank, but it will be intriguing to see how Mourinho sets out a team with Oscar, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne among the forward options.
"Wide on the left is my best position because I can cut inside and score goals with my right foot, which I hope to be able to do here, but I am confident playing anywhere offensively," Schurrle added.
"They are all great players, very young with lots of quality. It was my dream to train every day with such talented players so I'm very much looking forward to it."
He is also looking forward to linking up with the likes of Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.
"I can learn many things from them," he said.
"They've all had long careers and they are legends at Chelsea Football Club.
"I've watched them play since I was a young boy, so it's an honour for me now to be colleagues of theirs at Chelsea."
