TORONTO -- Leicester City has emerged as favourite to sign Jermain Defoe if the unsettled Toronto FC striker can work out a deal ahead of the transfer window closing later Monday.
Arsenal and Queens Park Rangers were earlier linked with the 31-year-old England international, along with Newcastle and Hull City.
Arsenal has apparently transferred its attention elsewhere and the Daily Telegraph says Leicester has moved to the front of the lineup with Queens Park Rangers also losing interest.
The Telegraph said Defoe will have to lower his demands of 90,000 pounds (US$149,475) a week. Defoe is making US$6.18 million this season (US$118,845 a week), according to salary figures posted by the MLS Players' Union.
Leicester is likely to try to sign Defoe on loan until the January window with a view to making the transfer permanent then, according to the Telegraph.
Toronto FC general manager Tim Bezbatchenko confirmed Sunday that the MLS club has received an offer on Defoe but said he hoped to retain him.
The team denied that the English star is anxious to leave but a source told The Canadian Press that Defoe, fed up with the turmoil at the club, wants out.
Toronto fired manager Ryan Nelsen and five members of his coaching staff Sunday. And MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke, the man who brought Defoe to MLS, has announced he plans to leave.
Leiweke also denied that Defoe had asked to quit the club, saying while the team had received offers for their star forward, it had not bitten on any. He did not rule out a possible move on deadline day, however.
The Telegraph says Defoe has been told by Toronto he can leave on loan until January and then try to arrange a permanent move.
Defoe signed with Toronto in January in what the MLS side billed as a "bloody big deal." When healthy, he has proved he can be a predator in the North American league with 11 goals in 16 games but is currently sidelined with a groin injury.
Losing Defoe so quickly would be an embarrassment for both Toronto and Major League Soccer.
