SCOTT HOGAN has completed a £14million move to Aston Villa.

West Ham pulled out of the race to sign the Brentford ace this morning after Slaven Bilic decided to stick with his current strike force.

5 Credit: Twitter

It left Villa clear to smash the Championship transfer record for the THIRD time this season after agreeing to meet Brentford’s asking price and the striker's personal terms.

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And Tony Xia again flexed his financial muscle again to blow Premier League clubs like West Ham, Crystal Palace and West Brom out of the water, with the Villa chairman set to pay around £10m up front.

Hogan, 24, said: “I’m delighted to be at a club like Aston Villa.

“With its history and tradition I can’t wait to start working hard and helping the team.

“It all happened quite quickly and now I'm looking forward to meeting my new team-mates tomorrow and beginning a new chapter in my career."

5 The Brentford striker was wanted by West Brom and Crystal Palace Credit: Reuters

5 Hogan netted 14 times this season for Brentford Credit: PA:Press Association

Bilic admitted he had gone cold on the idea earlier in the day.

He confirmed: "Good player but we already have good players in that position. That's why I didn't want it to happen."

As revealed by SunSport, the Bees were insisting on an incredible £1million Premier League title payout from the Hammers as part of a deal worth £13.5million.

5 Slaven Bilic pulled out of the race to sign Hogan Credit: PA:Press Association

Villa have sold Ashley Westwood to Burnley in a £5m deal which has helped fund a move for Hogan.

They also brought in extra cash from the sale of Jordan Ayew to Swansea, with £5m and left-back Neil Taylor coming in.

Bruce was desperate for a striker after failing to persuade Boro to part with Jordan Rhodes for less than £6m plus add-ons.

The Claret and Blues also clinched a deal for highly-rated Bury defender Jacob Bedeau worth around £750,000.

5 Ashley Westwood joined Sean Dyche's Burnley for £5million Credit: Getty Images

Ashley Westwood is set to move to Sean Dyche's Burnley