READING FC have completed the signing of AFC Bournemouth striker Yann Kermorgant on an 18-month deal for a fee believed to be around £500,000.

The 34-year-old former Leicester City and Charlton Athletic striker - who had also been linked with struggling Bristol City - has scored 60 times in 137 starts in English football, enjoying the most prolific spells of his career during the last two Championship seasons.

Kermorgant scored 17 goals during the 2013-14 campaign and then fired another 17 the following year to help Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth achieve promotion to the Premier League in his first full season on the south coast.

Royals manager Brian McDermott said, “I’m delighted to get Yann, a player we have known about for a long time. In Yann we have an experienced striker with an excellent record and a player who will be able to work with our young players at the club and be a good centre-forward in the team we are trying to develop here at Reading. I am really looking forward to working with him.”

McDermott will hope Kermorgant can help fill the void left by the departure of Reading's top goalscorer Nick Blackman to Derby in a £4m deal earlier this month.

He will add to Royals' attacking options which include Matej Vydra - who struck a hat-trick in Reading's 5-2 FA Cup victory against Huddersfield last night - Hal Robson-Kanu and Simon Cox, with Orlando Sa seemingly set for a loan move to AEK Athens.

Kermorgant's final Bournemouth appearance came in the top flight side’s 3-0 win against Norwich last weekend, and he could make his Reading debut at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (3pm).

Reading chief executive Nigel Howe added: “Following the arrival of George Evans yesterday evening, we are absolutely delighted to have fought off the interest of a number of other clubs to secure the services of striker Yann Kermorgant.

"He brings both a wealth of experience and an impressive goalscoring record to Reading Football Club and we look forward to welcoming him into our squad here at Madejski Stadium.”