Bournemouth have signed Preston’s Ben Pearson for an undisclosed fee, with the midfielder signing a three-and-a-half-year deal at the Vitality Stadium.

Pearson, 26, made 165 appearances for Preston after beginning his career at Manchester United and spending two loan spells at Barnsley.

“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.”

Cherries 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.”