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Jermain Defoe linked with multiple Premier League clubs as Toronto FC exit appears near
Stop me if you've heard this before: Jermain Defoe is leaving Toronto FC to return to the English Premier League.
The mid-season transfer window is officially open in England and according to a report in The Guardian, this time Leicester City is the rumoured destination for Defoe.
Jermain Defoe is set to join Leicester City from Toronto FC. The Premier League’s bottom club have jumped to the front of the queue for the striker’s signature, ahead of Queens Park Rangers, among others, and they are confident of closing the deal.
Defoe has long been a favourite of Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp and has been repeatedly linked with a move to Loftus Road since the summer, but Redknapp declared on Wednesday that his club cannot afford to sign the 32-year-old striker.
Hull City boss Steve Bruce also expressed interest in bringing over Defoe but cited similar financial concerns. There's also a report from the Daily Telegraph that TFC has offered Defoe to Liverpool.
A potential hang-up appears to be Toronto FC's insistence on selling Defoe while the multiple clubs involved in negotations would prefer a loan deal.
It may take another week or two before anything is official, but it's just a matter of time before Defoe's tenure in Toronto comes to a close much earlier than originally anticipated.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter @israelfehr.
