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Toronto FC has reportedly signed Jermaine Defoe and seems close to adding Michael Bradley

Andrew Bucholtz

Toronto FC has been linked to plenty of big-name players over the years with little actually coming from it, but the club appears to have finally landed one of its top targets—and potentially added another big name as well. Cathal Kelly of The Toronto Star writes that TFC has locked up Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe, a subject of rumours for months, and will officially unveil him Monday, but adds that the club's also in the final stages of talks with Roma midfielder Michael Bradley:

In a far more shocking turn, they are also in final negotiations to sign U.S. and Roma midfielder Michael Bradley to join the team. According to a highly placed team source, that deal is in its final stages. If completed on schedule, Bradley would be introduced alongside Defoe on Jan. 13.

In order to make room for Bradley on the roster, TFC would have to trade current designated player, Argentine Matias Laba. That deal would not have to be done for several weeks. There remains hope at TFC that he might be loaned out rather than dealt.

Contacted about the deal, MLSE president and CEO Tim Leiweke would offer only a terse, “I’m not going to talk about it.”

Generally, when Leiweke doesn’t want to talk about things, it’s because they’re happening.

Upon introduction, Defoe will immediately rejoin Spurs in England. He will officially become a TFC player on March 1, two weeks before the start of the season in Seattle.

Bradley, a tough-minded midfield enforcer, would join Toronto FC immediately, and then go on a break before the opening of Major League Soccer’s pre-season.

A marketing video TFC posted on YouTube about Monday's announcement would seem to support the Defoe addition, as it features an English gentlemen spitting out his tea and the on-screen writing "It's A Bloody Big Deal":

Both of those players would be substantial gets for TFC. Defoe's star has fallen somewhat in recent days, as he's receiving less and less playing time for Spurs, but he's only 31, so he isn't necessarily washed-up, and he's still in the mix for England's squad at this summer's World Cup. Bradley, a 26-year-old American midfielder, could represent even a bigger addition, as he's turned into one of the U.S. national team's best players. The rumours linking TFC to him are far more out of the blue, as most players with options would rather play under Europe's bright lights than come to MLS, but we've seen some big American names make that transition recently, including the Seattle Sounders' Clint Dempsey, who was playing for Fulham in the EPL (and is still doing so this winter on loan from his MLS team) before returning to MLS last year. Some caution is needed here, as plenty of the players TFC has been linked to never wound up going there (see Diego Forlan et al), but both Defoe and Bradley could be massive additions. TFC's undergone plenty of shakeups recently, including the hiring of GM Tim Bezbatchenko this winter, but if he hauls these two guys in, his tenure could be off to an excellent start.