Crystal Palace have signed Sunderland striker Connor Wickham on a five-year deal for what they said was an undisclosed fee.

The London club are believed to be paying about £8 million (€11.4 million) for Wickham, who joined Sunderland from Ipswich in June 2011 for a similar amount.

Wickham (22) signed a four-year deal with Sunderland only last December.

He told the Crystal Palace website: “I think I needed the fresh start, I had four years up north and it’s been a bit stop-start. Now I’ve come back home and I can settle down and see my family a bit more and hopefully let my football do the talking.”

He has been a long-standing transfer target for Palace, who attempted to sign him last January when Tony Pulis was in charge.

Wickham is Alan Pardew's fourth signing of the summer after Yohan Cabaye from Paris Saint-Germain, Alex McCarthy from Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea's Patrick Bamford on a season-long loan. Guardian service