SOCCER:Hull have completed the signing of midfielder Jimmy Bullard for a club record €5.3million fee from Fulham. The 30-year-old has signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Bullard is likely to be officially unveiled tomorrow and paraded to supporters before the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Millwall at the KC Stadium.

The Tigers made their move for Bullard after Bolton pulled out of a potential deal last week and are thought to have beaten off a number of clubs for his signature.

Middlesbrough and Arsenal, amongst others, were also linked to the player after it became apparent he was seeking a move from Craven Cottage.

The deal smashes the previous club record fees of £2.5m (€2.65m) paid for defenders Anthony Gardner last summer and Kamil Zayatte earlier today.

Manager Phil Brown said: “It is a sign of how serious [chairman] Paul Duffen is, how serious Phil Brown is and how serious Hull City is with regards to this Premier League campaign.

“The only way to sell Hull City’s plight to Jimmy Bullard is to show him the ambition of the football club, the ambition of the manager and the chairman and play the type of football he likes to play.

“He has been impressed with the way we have approached the Premier League this year and he heard what he wanted to hear.”

Bullard is Hull’s third signing of the January transfer window following the arrivals of Kevin Kilbane from Wigan and Manucho on loan from Manchester United last week.

In other business, Hull have also completed the permanent signing of Zayatte from Swiss club Young Boys and agreed a new contract with left back Andy Dawson until 2011.

Guinea international Zayatte, 23, has impressed on loan this season and has now agreed personal terms on a three-and-a-half-year contract.