Zak Chappell has agreed a three-year deal with Nottinghamshire.
Chappell, the 22-year-old Leicestershire all-rounder, has been limited to 14 games in his first-class career but, such is his obvious promise, was the subject of interest from several of the richest county sides including Surrey, Warwickshire and Lancashire.
Chappell becomes the second Leicestershire player to leave as an improved season under coach Paul Nixon nears its end: Ben Raine, a powerful allrounder, is also returning to his native north-east after agreeing terms with Durham.
Capable of bowling fast and powerful batting, Chappell made 96 from No. 10 on first-class debut and has this season taken his Championship wickets at a cost of 15.93. While there are some concerns about his injury record, such is his high potential - he is an all-rounder somewhat in the Andrew Flintoff mould - many clubs were prepared to take a chance on him.
"We are really disappointed to lose Zak as he was an important player across all formats for us," Paul Nixon, the Leicestershire head coach said. "He has bowled some excellent spells of fast bowling and made some useful scores with the bat.
"We really wanted him to continue his development with us, and we made him a very good offer to keep him with us. Sadly, Zak has opted to sign for Nottinghamshire to play Division One cricket, and the club wishes him well in the future."
Chappell's departure will remind Leicestershire supporters of another transfer of a tall, fair-haired fast bowler that forever aggrieves them - that of Stuart Broad 11 years ago.
His move sustains a strong recruitment drive from Nottinghamshire who have already added Ben Duckett and Ben Slater to their side in recent days. In the case of Chappell, it is understood he was impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of Peter Moores, the Notts head coach, to his development. It is understood the club also remain keen to attract 22-year-old Joe Clarke to Trent Bridge. It will not have gone unnoticed that all those players have developed at non-Test grounds.
"The opportunity to test myself playing Division One cricket with Nottinghamshire is an opportunity that I couldn't turn down," Chappell said. "I want to play for England in the future, and I think the best chance to do that is by playing in Division One.