Sunderland strike king Defoe set to join Rangers

Sunderland hero Jermain Defoe is set to join Rangers on an 18-month loan deal.

Defoe had hinted last month that he would be open to a January move as he struggled for minutes at Bournemouth, and Scottish giants Rangers have beaten a host of clubs, including Sheffield United, to land him on loan, with the deal close to being completed.

Defoe will join on loan, with Bournemouth having two recall options, one in the summer and one in January 2020.

Earlier this season, Sunderland chairman Stewart Donald admitted that he had made a ‘cheeky’ bid for the Sunderland hero in the summer.

“I asked in the summer if we could and the answer came we couldn’t,” he said.

“We might ask again but it was a pretty strong no. It was a cheeky request though!

“I was wondering if they might contribute to his wages.”

Defoe has made just eight appearances in all competitions this season, all of them from the bench.

Speaking to the Mirror last month, Defoe said: “We’ll see what happens. At the end of the day I’m a footballer and I like playing football.

“I’m not playing football at the minute so we’ll see what happens.”

The 36-year-old striker has won 57 England caps.

Rangers ended the year on a high with a 1-0 win over Celtic at Ibrox to take them level on points with the reigning champions at the top of the table.

Defoe played alongside Rangers manager Steven Gerrard for England.

He scored 37 goals for Sunderland in two-and-a-half seasons on Wearside and was a firm fans’ favourite.