Nikica Jelavic has revealed his move to Rangers started off as a JOKE between himself and former Ibrox defender Sasa Papac.

The Croatian striker claims he had urged Papac to speak to someone at the club on his behalf, but did not expect anything to happen at that time. But when Light Blues scouts did have a look at the hitman, they liked what they saw and opted to take a chance - which paid off.

"It started as a joke. Sasa Papac said, ‘We need a striker’, so I told him to get the club to watch me," Jelavic told the Athletic. "He told someone at the club as a joke, but they watched the game against Celtic.

"I scored two goals and had a great game so they kept on following me and that’s how the contact happened."

Jelavic was sold by Rapid Vienna to Gers where he spent two and a half years before winning a switch to the English Premier League with Everton.

The attacker's initial move to Glasgow brought with it criticism from his former club, but the 35-year-old insists their claims that he refused to play to force a move was nonsense.

He went on: "How could I do that if they didn’t want to sell me?

"I don’t want to go back and blame someone or play this trash talk, but if the club aren’t ready to let you go you cannot argue with them.

“If you refuse to play a game then they will put you aside, fine you and not sell you at all, so this story is bulls***. I refuse to allow the president back then to steal all my good memories from the two years I had there."