Rangers beat host of clubs to land Sunderland hero Jermain Defoe on loan from Bournemouth

Defoe had hinted last month that he would be open to a January move as he struggles for minutes at Bournemouth and widespread reports on Thursday claim Scottish giants Rangers have beaten a host of clubs to his signature including Sheffield United.

Sky Sports report 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 on BBC Newcastle 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.