Transfer news: Jermain Defoe agrees £90,000-a-week deal with MLS side Toronto FC paving way for Tottenham exit - reports
The striker is hoping a move to Canada will boost his fading chances of featuring in England's World Cup campaign next year after struggling for first-team opportunities at Spurs
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Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is reported to have agreed a deal which will see him head to Major League Soccer club Toronto FC in a bid to boost his chances of making the England squad for the 2014 World Cup, and will earn £90,000-a-week in the process.
The Mirror is claiming that Defoe has already agreed the deal and will complete the £6m switch in January, having said yes to the four-year offer last week. The striker is believed to want talks with England manager Roy Hodgson to discuss the implications of the move and how his World Cup hopes will be implicated.
Defoe has fallen behind summer signing Roberto Soldado under Spurs’ boss Andre Villas-Boas, despite the Spaniard struggling for any kind of form since he arrived at White Hart Lane, and the reintegration of Emmanuel Adebayor into the first team appears to have dented Defoe’s chances further of securing regular action.
The 31-year-old was left on the bench during their dismal 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City last weekend, with Villas-Boas choosing to send on Adebayor at half-time in a failed effoprt to change the game.
The introduction of the Togolese striker was his first Premier League appearance of the season, and despite Defoe notching nine goals in cup competitions this season – compared to Adebayor’s zero – there appears nothing he can do to break into the starting line-up.
He also looks set to disappoint a number of English clubs who were in the race for his signature, with Harry Redknapp believed to be leading the way in an effort to bring Defoe to Queens Park Rangers. Redknapp brought Defoe back to the north London club for a second spell during his time in charge, and he has long been a fan of his throughout his Premier League career.
But the four-year contract is likely to see Defoe end his career in Canada, although he does hope a clause can be agreed which will see him remain with Spurs until the start of the MLS season in March, with Tottenham’s striker crisis worsening as the season progresses.
His failure to play regularly has seen him fall behind Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Rickie Lambert in the Three Lions pecking order, and the move across the Atlantic represents a last-ditch move to resurrect any chance of being involved in next summer’s showcase tournament.
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