Watford have signed M'Baye Niang on loan from AC Milan for the rest of the season, with the option of making it a permanent move.
Niang was left out of AC Milan's squad for their Coppa Italia defeat at Juventus on Wednesday night, with coach Vincenzo Montella appearing to suggest it might be better for him to leave the club this winter.
Niang, 22, rejected a move to Leicester City a year ago, but he is now on his way to the Premier League with Montella saying he has run out of patience with the French forward.
#watfordfc is delighted to confirm the signing of M'Baye Niang from @acmilan.
Welcome @MBaye9Niang!
More info: https://t.co/PTgFJ9ISx6 pic.twitter.com/nl90j3995l
- Watford FC (@WatfordFC) January 26, 2017
"I am very happy to come here. The manager and president were very important in my choice," he told the club's official website. "I expect to play a very good game with this club.
"The fans and the enthusiasm for this club is very important for me and I know some of the players here, like [Stefano] Okaka and [Roberto] Pereyra. For me they are very good players and I am very excited to play with them.''
Stoke City, Crystal Palace and Everton were also reported to be interested in Niang, who had seen his opportunities further limited by Gerard Deulofeu's arrival at the San Siro on loan from Everton.
He began his career with Caen before moving to Milan in 2012, where he scored eight goals in 67 Serie A appearances. He has also had loan spells with Montpellier and Genoa.
The former France under-21 international joins Mauro Zarate and Tom Cleverley as additions to Watford's squad in the winter window.
Watford also confirmed on Wednesday that striker Obbi Oulare had joined Dutch outfit Willem II on loan until the end of the season which comes after the 21-year-old's spell in Belgium with Zulte Waregem.