Shane Long: Southampton sign Hull City striker

Long failed to score in three games against Southampton last season

Southampton have signed Hull City striker Shane Long for an undisclosed fee, reported to be about £12m.

The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland international has agreed a four-year contract at St Mary's.

He becomes Southampton's sixth signing of the summer and joins in time for Sunday's trip to Liverpool.

"It was a hard decision for me to make, but when you come down to Southampton you see how big a club it is," Long told the club's official website.

Hull signed Long, who has scored 11 goals in 47 caps for the Republic, in a deal understood to be worth up to £7m in January from West Brom.

He scored four times in 15 appearances for the Tigers, having begun his career at Cork City and gone on to make his name at Reading, where he netted 54 goals in six seasons.

"This came out of the blue for me but, once I'd come and had a look at the training facilities and met the manager, it seemed like the right decision for me and my family," added Long.

"You look at how well they did last season and they are developing a new squad for this year to try and achieve those accomplishments again, and hopefully I can be a big part of that.

"Southampton play a brand of football that's enjoyable to watch, and I'm sure it'll be enjoyable to play in as well. I think the formation they play will suit me, and the manager has a lot of knowledge about football and I'm looking to learn off him."

The south-coast club have seen six players depart St Mary's this summer, with striker Rickie Lambert, midfielder Adam Lallana and defender Dejan Lovren all moving to Liverpool.

Left-back Luke Shaw has joined Manchester United, Arsenal have signed right-back Calum Chambers and forward Dani Osvaldo has left for Inter Milan on loan.

Southampton have already signed keeper Fraser Forster, defender Ryan Bertrand, midfielders Dusan Tadic and Saphir Taider, and striker Graziano Pelle for the new season.