Former Southampton, Everton, Sheffield United and Rangers striker James Beattie is in training with League One’s Bournemouth.

 

The former England international is a free agent having left Rangers in September and ‘Cherries’ manager Lee Bradbury has revealed he would like to sign the 33-year-old.

 

Signing Beattie would be a huge coup for the club and it would be the first significant move into the transfer market following Russian businessman Maxim Demin’s purchase of a 50% stake in the south coast club.

 

“Obviously it would be a massive plus for us if we could sign someone of James’s calibre,” said Bradbury of the player who has amassed transfer fees of £14.5m in a career that began at Blackburn in 1995.

 

“He’s living locally so there is an opportunity if things go well for both parties,” added Bradbury.

 

“He’s not had any training as such with the football. He’s been training in the gym on his own and he’s just come in to get fit and for us to look at him and for him to look at us.”