Hoffenheim sign striker Locadia from Brighton on loan

Berlin - Striker Jurgen Locadia has joined Hoffenheim on a season-long loan from Premier League outfit Brighton and Hove Albion, the Bundesliga side announced on Thursday.

The 25-year-old moves to Germany for an undisclosed fee and will link up with Hoffenheim head coach Alfred Schreuder after the pair previously worked together at PSV Eindhoven, where he had acored 62 times in 176 appearances before being snapped up by Brighton in January 2018.

"He quickly attracted attention there (in Brighton) because of his goal-scoring ability and has been on the fringes of the Netherlands squad," said boss Schreuder.

Locadia made an impact in England by scoring on his first two appearances, but his early days were hampered by injury.

Despite limited opportunities, the Dutchman scored goals in back-to-back games last December, helping the club to a 1-1 draw with Arsenal and 1-0 win over Everton.

In total, Locadia made 43 appearances for Brighton and the last of his six goals came in last season's FA Cup quarter-final win at Millwall in March.

Hoffenheim badly need reinforcements up front after selling burly Brazilian striker Joelinton to Newcastle United and Hungary international Adam Szalai to Mainz, while Croatia striker Andrej Kramaric has been dogged by injury.