Jermain Defoe back at Bournemouth on 3-year deal

Jermain-Defoe

Jermain Defoe will return to Bournemouth. (Scott Heppell/AP)

BOURNEMOUTH, England — England striker Jermain Defoe has joined Bournemouth on a three-year deal, securing a return to a club where he scored in 10 straight league games during a loan spell in 2001.

The Premier League team announced the free transfer of the 34-year-old Defoe on Thursday. Defoe triggered a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Sunderland following its relegation from the Premier League.

Defoe spent the 2000-01 season on loan at Bournemouth from West Ham.

Bournemouth, which finished ninth in the league last season, also has signed goalkeeper Asmir Begovic from Chelsea this off-season.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says "we want to bring players here who can have a big impact on our continued rise and we believe Jermain fits that as a natural, proven goal-scorer."

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.