West Ham win race to sign Hugill

West Ham have bolstered their strike force with the signing of Jordan Hugill from Championship side Preston.

The 25-year-old’s performances this season have reportedly caught the eye of a number of Premier League clubs, with Crystal Palace said to have been hoping to lure him to Selhurst Park.

However, Hugill has opted to link up with David Moyes’ men at London Stadium, with West Ham beating the deadline to snap up the striker on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Hugill told West Ham’s official website. 

“It’s been a long day, but to get this over the line is amazing for me and it’s now a new challenge for me and hopefully I can bring what I did at Preston here and show what I can do. 

“It’s amazing to know I’m a Premier League footballer, to know where I’ve come from in the last five years to where I am now in the Premier League is amazing. 

“I’m still pinching myself to see if it’s all real, but hopefully I can bring my qualities from Preston here to West Ham. Without a doubt it’s a huge opportunity and I’m looking forward to it.”

Hugill joined Preston from Port Vale in June 2014 for just £25,000 and the League Two club stand to benefit from a percentage of the fee that took him to West Ham.

He spent much of his first season as a Preston player on loan, enjoying spells with Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United, before establishing himself in the Lilywhites’ first team following their promotion to the Championship in 2015.

The Middlesbrough-born striker scored 12 goals in 44 Championship appearances in 2016-17 and has netted eight times in 27 league games this season.