Rangers yesterday confirmed the Bosman signing of Jean-Claude Darcheville, the powerful Bordeaux striker who had been linked with the club twice before.

The 32-year-old has agreed a two-year deal despite an offer from AS Monaco to remain in France's Ligue 1. Rangers had considered a £300,000 bid for the French Guyana-born frontman in December 2005, but then-manager Alex McLeish instead turned his attention to a loan move for the younger Argentine, Federico Nieto.

More recently, Darcheville was reported to have been offered a reunion with Paul Le Guen - who introduced him to senior football at Rennes - at Rangers at the start of this season but his former manager did not follow up initial enquiries.

Darcheville joins two home-based Bosman signings, Alan Gow and Kirk Broadfoot, and is regarded as a workmanlike ally to Kris Boyd. Darcheville is not a prolific goalscorer, but his muscular, broad-shouldered physique has convinced Walter Smith that he can make an impact in the Bank of Scotland Premierleague and in Europe.

In the short term he will be regarded as a replacement for the talismanic Dado Prso, the Croat who is hoping to bid farewell to Ibrox against Kilmarnock on Sunday. Last night, the Rangers manager expressed his satisfaction at securing the sturdy striker.

"We are delighted to have signed Jean Claude," Smith said. "With Dado Prso leaving, we said that we were looking to bring in some player to strengthen the front area and we feel we have been quick to do so by agreeing the deal to bring Jean Claude here.

"There were a number of other clubs interested in him, and Bordeaux wanted him to sign a new deal, so we are pleased that we will have his talents for the next two seasons."

Darcheville, an unused substitute in Bordeaux's defeat against Nantes last night, was given his big break by the father of the Lyon winger, Florent Malouda, who paid for him to fly to Sochaux from Guyana for an ill-fated trial. Le Guen's scouts in the West Indies kept a close watch and signed the robust striker, who became known as The Rocket.

In three seasons at Rennes, his size and style of play drew comparisons with Ronaldo, not all of them favourable. Naive about the fitness requirements of professional football, he was soon lampooned as Gronaldo (fat Ronaldo) by critics.

"I'd never even worked on physique before that or looked after my diet," he admitted later. "These things didn't come easily."

He was a moderate success in Brittany, scoring only five goals in 42 appearances, but his on-field struggles were rendered insignificant when his girlfriend and her two children were killed in a road accident.

Seeking a fresh start and distraction from his personal turmoil, Le Guen gave his blessing to a loan transfer to Nottingham Forest. Darcheville quickly faded after a promising start to life in the Premiership and unravelled to such an extent that the manager, Dave Bassett, branded him a waster and sent him back to France after 16 games and only two goals.

In a final attempt to rekindle his career, Darcheville was sent to Lorient in Ligue 2 but there he encountered a coach, Christian Gourcuff, who took exception to perceived on-field selfishness and wastefulness. Gourcuff was replaced and under the new coach, Angel Marcos, Darcheville prospered, scoring 25 goals in two seasons to help Lorient return to the top division.

A year after being transfer-listed by Gourcuff, he scored 19 times in Ligue 1, scored the winner against Bastia in the 2002 Coupe de France Final and secured a transfer to Bordeaux. A serious knee injury sustained against Paris Saint-Germain in 2003 hampered his progress and he accused the club of not providing adequate support during his year-long recovery.

He has since scored 36 goals in 124 games for Bordeaux, despite never fully endearing himself to the support, and having expressed his intention to "make a stack of money", he became one of the highest-earning players in Ligue 1 on an estimated £1m per year.

Darcheville will now be expected to maximise Boyd's output by sharing the attacking burden and galvanising Rangers for a more sustained championship challenge.

1975 Born July 25, in Sinnamary, French Guyana

1994 Catches the eye of Rennes scouts playing in the Overseas Territories final at the Parc des Princes

1995 Makes his first French Ligue 1 appearance for Rennes in a 3-1 defeat to Monaco on July 19

1998 Joins Nottingham Forest on loan following the death of his wife and her two children in a car accident in Guyana

1999 Fails to settle in England after a row with manager Dave Basset and, with Forest relegated, returns home. Then Rennes coach Paul Le Guen sends the player on loan to second-tier outfit Lorient

2001 Helps unfancied Lorient achieve promotion to the top flight, netting 25 goals in two seasons

2002 Scores the winner as Lorient defeat Bastia in the French League Cup final and finishes the season with 19 goals to his name, but can't prevent his side being relegated from Ligue 1. Joins Bordeaux that summer.

2003 Suffers a serious knee injury in a match against Paris Saint Germain that sidelines the striker for almost a year

2006 Makes his first appearance in the Champions League with Bordeaux and goes on to net once in six appearances

2007 Wins his second league cup medal as his side defeat Lyon in March. Agrees to join Rangers on a Bosman on May 9. Leaves the Parc Lescure side having scored 36 goals in 124 appearances in all competitions