CHERRIES have rubber stamped their third permanent summer signing after confirming the arrival of Leeds United wonderkid Lewis Cook on a four-year deal.

The 19-year-old was snapped up for an undisclosed fee understood to be around £7million.

Cook jetted back from United’s summer training camp in Ireland to complete his medical with the transfer believed to have been confirmed in time for him to join Cherries on their pre-season trip to the United States.

Cherries chief executive Neill Blake told the club website: "We're pleased to be bringing one of the country's brightest prospects to the club.

"Lewis has impressed since earning his spot in the Leeds United first team and we feel that he can continue his rapid progress under the tutelage of Eddie (Howe, manager) and Jason (Tindall, assistant manager).

"He represented England at youth level and won plenty of individual awards last season. We're excited to see him flourish further at Vitality Stadium over the next four years."

The transfer brings to an end constant speculation that has circulated since November over a swoop for the Elland Road protégé.

Cook, an England under-19 star, burst on to the scene at the age of 17, featuring 38 times for United during a breakthrough 2014-15 campaign in which he starred in a Championship double over Cherries.

His form saw him voted young player of the year and receive a nomination for player of the year before missing just three league matches for Leeds last season, scoring his first league goal against Fulham in February.

The deal will be a blow to new Leeds boss Garry Monk, who negotiated Cook’s withdrawal from Aidy Boothroyd’s England under-19 squad in order to integrate him into his first-team plans.

At the time, Monk told the Leeds United website: “It was a very difficult decision. I spoke to Lewis and told him how important he is to this team and for the project going forward.

“I just felt that to miss him for pretty much the whole of pre-season would be detrimental to the player and detrimental to the team.

"I’ll play the villain in this but it was for the right reasons. England understand that and Lewis understands that. I think it was best for us.”