Former England international Jermain Defoe is leaving Major League Soccer to sign with Leicester City of the Premier League, according to a report in the The Guardian.
Originally believed to be heading to Queens Park Rangers on a deal that would see him reunited with former Spurs boss Harry Redknapp, Defoe will apparently spurn the West London club in favor of Premier League bottom-dwellers Leicester.
No deal has yet to be executed but the writing has been on the wall for some time with Defoe and MLS. Last September Toronto president Tim Leiweke questioned Defoe’s commitment and said that “if you don’t want to be here, get the hell out of our way.” Defoe responded saying he was “hurt” by the comments before QPR manager Harry Redknapp made clear his love for the speedy striker.
[MORE: Jermain Defoe “hurt” by comments; Redknapp reveals Defoe interest]
The striker signed with Toronto FC for just over $9 million last February after spending nearly five years at Tottenham. It was there that Defoe netted 91 goals in 276 Premier League appearances, making him a crowd favorite at The Lane.
Defoe featured in 19 matches for Toronto in 2014, scoring 11 goals, including two on his debut in Seattle. But injuries aggravated Defoe towards the end of the season leading to his highly-publicized desire to return to the Premier League.
If Defoe’s move to the King Power is confirmed, he’ll join a group of forwards that includes Leonardo Ulloa (7 goals, 20 apps), David Nugent (2 goals, 17 apps) and Jamie Vardy (1 goal, 17 apps).
