DONE DEAL: Luke James returns to Hartlepool United from Peterborough

James left Pools in the summer of 2014 joining League One Peterborough United in a £500,00 deal but Pools have been trying to bring him back - as first revealed by SportMail.

Ronnie Moore has finally landed his man, with James joining until the end of the campaign.

Stevenage were also interested in the Amble-born striker, SportMail understands.

The 21-year-old has spent the first half of 2015/16 on loan at Bradford City but has now penned a deal that will see him stay on loan at The Vic until the end of the campaign.

James will wear his old number 33 shirt during the loan spell and goes straight in to contention for Saturday’s game against Notts County.

James came through the ranks at Pools, having joined the club’s Academy at the age of 11 and his performances in the Youth Team and Reserves won him a professional contract when he turned 17.

The pacey forward scored 22 goals in 100 appearances during his first spell with the Club, earning the Fans' and Players' Player of the Year awards in 2013/14 after hitting the net sixteen times.

But his Pools departure left a sour taste in the mouths of supporters after the striker handed in two transfer requests and then failed to turn up to training at Maiden Castle for three consecutive days before the summer-long saga finally came to an end on a dramatic deadline day.

James, who played at Pools under former manager Colin Cooper, joined Posh on a four-year deal for a fee of around £500,000 plus add-ons.

His long-term future lies at Peterborough though, with Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony taking to Twitter this week to confirm he sees James staying at London Road.

In response to a fan's question over whether he has a future at Posh, MacAnthony tweeted: "Yes I'm confident of it next season for sure. Luke still a baby & we have him long term."