RANGERS have confirmed Jermain Defoe has joined the club on an 18 month loan.

The English striker, who has 20 goals from 57 international caps, will make the move from English Premier League side AFC Bournemouth.

Defoe has scored 162 Premier League goals throughout his twenty-year professional career, making 496 appearances.

He will take on the role as striker when he joins the Ibrox side.

However, the move is subject to international clearance.

Gers manager Steven Gerrard said: “I’m delighted to be able to welcome Jermain to Rangers.

"He is an exceptionally talented striker and vastly experienced footballer who has scored goals at every club he has played for.

“He will be a great addition to our dressing room and we look forward to integrating him into the squad whilst we work in Tenerife over the next week.”

He began his career at Charlton Athletic, before having goalscoring success for West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Toronto FC, Sunderland and Bournemouth.

Director of Football Mark Allen added: “It’s really helpful to get work on this front done early in the transfer window because it means we should be able to hit the ground running after the winter break.

"I believe that is vitally important.”

Defoe is currently the seventh highest scoring striker in English Premier League history and the sixth highest scoring Tottenham Hotspur player of all time. He represented England three times at the World Cup in 2010, scoring once.

The striker is the third transfer agreement the Gers have made in this window already, with pre-contracts signed yesterday for both Jordan Jones and Glen Kamara.

The club thanked AFC Bournemouth for its "help and cooperation in securing this transfer and making it possible".