BLACKBURN Rovers have confirmed forward Josh King has snubbed a new deal at Ewood Park to join Premier League new boys AFC Bournemouth.

The out of contract Norwegian international was offered a new deal by Rovers boss Gary Bowyer but has instead signed a pre-contract agreement with Eddie Howe’s Cherries.

Rovers will be due compensation for the move as King is under the age of 24 and if the clubs cannot reach an agreement over the fee it will be settled by a tribunal.

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It is believed that the 23-year-old has signed a three year contract with Bournemouth.

Rovers opened negotiations over the same length of contract with the Norwegian several months ago.

Rovers had hoped to wrap things up with King soon after the end of the season, but the pace ace was prepared to take his time to assess his options before making a final decision, which left Rovers playing a waiting game.

King’s stock rose after he scored a hat-trick to knock Premier League side Stoke City out of the FA Cup fifth round in February.

The forward initially joined Rovers on loan from Manchester United in November 2012 before making the move permanent in January 2013 for an undisclosed fee.

He has since made nearly 70 appearances for Rovers scoring eight goals.

But King’s stay was also blighted by injury and he missed two months towards the end of this season with a hamstring problem before returning for the final two games of the campaign.

King said: "I’ve been on the bench for United, I’ve played in the Champions League and FA Cup but never got on for United in the Premier League. 

“So if I do get my chance in the Premier League it will be the first so that played a big factor, but the manager was a bit more important. 

“I’ve seen what he’s done with the squad here. I’ve watched a couple of games during the season, and the football Bournemouth play suits me very well I think. 

“He’s been honest, he told me you have to work for your place. 

“He loves the style I play and he actually thinks I can fit in with the team that’s done brilliantly in the Championship and hopefully will do well in the Premier League as well. 

“I’ve heard there are a good bunch of lads who hopefully can take me on and fight for places and we can do well together as a team. 

“Togetherness is important, especially in this small town with not many people. 

“It must not be easy for a team like Bournemouth going on and winning the league. 

“They’ve been in League Two and League One and climbing the tables and getting promoted and promoted every year, and reaching the Premier League finally is a great effort.” 

Cherries boss Eddie Howe said: “Josh will bring us a lot of pace. He is a good technical player as well, a good size and somebody who is very good in the air. We are very pleased on a number of levels and I think his addition improves the athleticism of the squad.

“He is a young guy but with good experiences in the game. He had a great grounding at Manchester United and was lucky enough to play under the great Sir Alex Ferguson.

“He also has good international experience with Norway. I have seen him play regularly for the national team and he has always done well at international level.

“To bring that type of experience into the squad and still at a very good age to improve his game even further, I think that makes it very attractive to us.

“There is scope for development into his game and I don’t think we have seen the very best of Josh yet. Hopefully, we can give him the stage to deliver that.”

Howe added: “I think we saw in flashes during his time at Blackburn what a good player he can be and the Stoke game was a real stand-out moment from his season.

“Whether it is as a central striker or a wide player, his versatility will be invaluable to us. I wouldn’t bracket him as a winger, I would bracket him as an attacking player. He can play the number-nine role and the wide role. To have players with the flexibility to play various roles will be important to us. We are going to need players with pace to cause teams problems in the Premier League.

“The fact we are attractive to players and people want to come here should be good news for us going forward. I think the best years of Josh’s career are in front of him and, hopefully, he will have a very good time with us.”