Murphy, 28, travelled north last night for a medical and to put the finishing touches to a three-and-a-half-year deal from Brighton.

The Light Blues will pay an initial £1million fee with a further £400,000 in add-ons.

Murphy said: “It’s good to be home. Rangers are the club I supported as a boy and I still support now.

“They have had a good season so far.  They are always looking to improve and hopefully I can be a part of that.”

Murphy joins Sean Goss, who has arrived on loan from QPR, and the pair will fly out to Florida to join up with their new team-mates this weekend at their winter training camp.

The striker helped Brighton get into the Premier League but has not been involved with the Seagulls’ top team since September.

Murphy came through the ranks at Motherwell and was a target for Celtic before he moved south to join  Sheffield United in 2013. He joined Brighton in 2015.

Andy Halliday has returned to Ibrox after his 12-month loan deal at Azerbaijan side Gabala was cut short.

The 26-year-old midfielder was shipped out by former boss Pedro Caixinha in June.

Michael O’Halloran has also returned to the club. He too fell foul of Caixinha and was on a six-month loan at St Johnstone, which has now ended.

Caixinha has confirmed his interest in Carlos Pena.

The Portuguese took the Mexican to Ibrox in a £2m deal last summer.

Pena has scored five goals for Rangers but has struggled for fitness and Caixinha now wants him to team up with him again back home at Cruz Azul.

Caixinha said: “Despite not reaching the levels in Scotland that he reached in Mexico, Carlos is still a wonderful player.

“Carlos would be a very good addition.”

Meanwhile, 18-year-old defender Myles Beerman has joined Queen of the South on loan for the rest of the season.

Queens boss Gary Naysmith said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to add Myles to our squad.

“He is a young player with a big future ahead of him and hopefully we can help to further his development.

“He will give us another option on the left-hand side of the pitch and is comfortable playing as a left-back, wing-back or a left midfielder. 

“He has good energy, good pace and he likes to get forward.

“Some of our Championship rivals were also interested in signing him so I’m pleased we managed to get him.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy Nicholl is delighted to be back at Rangers for a third time.

Nicholl was a player at the club in 1983-84, then operated as player-coach under Graeme Souness from 1986-89.

He is returning as assistant boss to Graeme Murty, who has been handed the top job at Ibrox for the rest of the season.

Nicholl, 61, who will join the Rangers squad in Florida this weekend, said: “I got the opportunity as a player all those years ago with John Greig and Jock Wallace, and then I thought that was going to be it, I’d fulfilled one of my ambitions.

“Then, three years later I was back with Graeme Souness and Walter Smith. Then, again I thought that was it after that.

“But 30 years later to have the opportunity to go back again in this capacity as assistant manager with Graeme Murty, I am so excited and chuffed to bits that Graeme has given me this opportunity. I know so many of the staff and the guys in the academy, and that’s great as it means I’m not walking in to a strange environment where I’m having to spend a bit of time getting to know everybody.

“It’s a good opportunity now to be away in Florida for this length of time to be around the training ground and the hotel with the players without it being a pressurised situation.”

The Irishman has a wealth of experience, managing Raith, Millwall, Cowdenbeath and has also held No 2 posts at Dunfermline, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock. 

Nicholl has also been assisting Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill in recent seasons.

He said: “There comes a time when you miss the day-to-day stuff. 

“But Paul Hartley gave me an opportunity to get back into it at Falkirk, and I’m disappointed to be leaving them in the same position as we arrived.”