AFC Bournemouth have completed the signing of Preston North End midfielder Ben Pearson for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a three-and-half-year deal at Vitality Stadium and will wear the number 22 shirt.
Pearson began his career at Manchester United, rising through the ranks to become a regular for the Red Devils’ under-21 side and featuring in the UEFA Youth League.
He enjoyed two successful loan spells at Barnsley before signing permanently for Preston in January 2016.
While at Deepdale, the former England Under-20 international made 165 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals.
“As soon as I heard of Bournemouth’s interest I wanted to come here,” Pearson told afcbTV.
“It is a good club with big ambitions to get back into the Premier League, which is somewhere I want to be as well, so we have the same aim.
“The Championship is a difficult league but I’m experienced here and know what it’s about. I felt like I was ready for a new challenge and now it's here I’m really looking forward to starting training and getting to know my new team mates.”
AFC Bournemouth chief executive, Neill Blake, said: “There were a number of clubs trying to sign Ben, so I am delighted he has chosen Bournemouth for the next stage of his career.
“Over the past four years, Ben has proved himself to be an outstanding midfielder at this level and we believe this club is the right place for him to develop and continue to improve under our manager Jason Tindall and his coaching staff.
“Ben has a range of attributes which will complement those of our existing midfielders and he is an exciting signing who will prove a big asset to our promotion push.”
