Lafferty finally signs for Rangers as Cardiff eye Kris Boyd

Northern Ireland striker Lafferty has signed a five-year contract with the Ibrox club after the deal was restructured without Alan Gow.

The former Falkirk player is still wanted by Burnley but could not agree the financial terms of his proposed part-exchange departure during a meeting with Rangers chief executive Martin Bain yesterday.

Boy blue: Lafferty has put his shirt on Rangers

Burnley have set a deadline of next Thursday for Gow to move to Turf Moor, otherwise Rangers will have to pay more for Lafferty.

Boyd's position has been the subject of increasing speculation after Walter Smith moved to land Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and Lafferty.

There is no desire to force Boyd out, but Cardiff are poised to become the first to test Rangers' resolve with an offer.

The Welsh club failed in an attempt to sign the striker in 2005 when he was at Kilmarnock.

Boss Dave Jones remains a fan of the 24-year-old, who cost Rangers £400,000 in January 2006.

Cardiff have raked in £5m from the sale of Aaron Ramsey to Arsenal, with a further £2.5m banked from their run to last season's FA Cup Final.

Striking reinforcement is their overwhelming priority and Boyd tops a shortlist including Manchester City youngster Ched Evans and Sunderland's Michael Chopra.

Joining Gavin Rae, Kevin McNaughton and Steven Thompson in the Championship club's Scottish contingent seems unlikely to appeal to Boyd, but their interest could prompt other clubs monitoring his situation to step forward.

New Ibrox man Lafferty is currently on holiday and was relieved to be told his dream switch had finally been sealed after agreeing personal terms on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old, Rangers' most expensive signing in more than three years, feared he had lost out on a move when previous speculation came to nothing.

'When Rangers were looking at me, I really wanted to join them but there was a point when I thought they had lost interest,' he admitted.

'I heard nothing from them, so I was worried the move wouldn't happen and I was delighted when my agent rang to say Burnley had accepted the bid.

'Hopefully, I can now show the fans what I can do on the pitch. All of my mates and family are big Rangers fans, so they're pleased I'm at the club.' L

Lafferty is looking forward to being part of Rangers' European exploits after attending last month's UEFA Cup Final against Zenit St Petersburg as a fan.

'I was at the Final in Manchester and the atmosphere was incredible,' he said.

'That helped make up my mind that I wanted to play for Rangers.'

The club, meanwhile, have confirmed a high-profile Ibrox friendly against Liverpool on Saturday, August 2 to follow their pre- season tour of Germany and Holland.