The much-travelled striker joined Bristol Rovers in 2004 after an unhappy spell at Leyton Orient. Orient had previously signed him from Lincoln, following two prolific seasons where Thorpe was the club's top scorer and registered highly as one of the league's top strikers. Thorpe, who has also spent spells at Blackpool and Grimsby, was reluctantly allowed to leave by Rovers manager Ian Atkins after he was told to slash the wage bill.
Swansea manager Kenny Jackett told the Bristol Evening Post "Lee is a good signing for us. Strikers tend to mature a bit later than players in other positions and at 29, I think Lee is coming into his strongest period and we will get the best out of him over the next few years".
Kenny Jackett is now waiting to hear whether or not Thorpe has been signed in time to play in tonight's tricky league fixture at Field Mill. Should his registration not pass through in time, Thorpe will make his debut against his former club Leyton Orient at the weekend.