Bath Rugby have finally confirmed the signing of fly-half George Ford from Aviva Premiership rivals Leicester Tigers.
The club have been linked with the 20-year-old for several months but regulations protecting the contracts of players in the England U20 set-up prevented any discussions over a potential move taking place until the start of this month.
Bath have today announced the capture of the extremely talented youngster, who will move to The Rec where his father, Mike Ford, is a first-team coach.
"I'm really excited by the move to Bath," said George. "It's a club building for the long-term, focusing on developing young players like myself and I can't wait to be part of that environment."
Bath head coach Gary Gold added: "George is an exceptionally talented young player, and we are very much looking forward to him joining us here in Bath.
"He has already shown a tremendous range of skills, and at just 20 we know he will only grow as a player and further develop those skills."
By convincing Ford to switch to The Rec, Bath have secured the services of one of the hottest prospects in English rugby.
He was the first English player - and youngest ever - to win the IRB Junior Player of the Year award following a number of commanding performances for England U20s in the 2011 Junior World Cup.
In total, he made 14 appearances for England U18 and 11 for England U20 before being promoted to the England Saxons squad. Having been the youngest player to make his professional debut at club level, he has gone on to make 33 first-team appearances for Leicester, scoring 220 points.
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