Jermain Defoe: Set to be unveiled in Toronto on Monday

Defoe has long been tipped to join the ambitious Major League Soccer side where his one-time Spurs team-mate Ryan Nelsen is now head coach.

It is understood that the 31-year-old will fly to Canada on Sunday ahead of a commercial engagement on Monday before returning to Tottenham on loan - possibly until the end of April.

Defoe will earn in the region of £90,000-a-week at Toronto in what is one of the biggest deals in MLS history.

The England international was not mentioned by name on Toronto's official website but a teasing image on its homepage talked up an imminent "big deal".

Details of his arrival were apparently leaked to the local press - much to the annoyance of Spurs, who hoped to delay an announcement until after this weekend's game against Crystal Palace.

Defoe has spent nine years split across two spells with Tottenham, where his tally of 142 goals ranks him fifth among the club's all-time leading scorers.

He has scored nine this season but all but two of those have come in the Europa League, with Roberto Soldado and, more recently, Emmanuel Adebayor preferred in the starting line-up.

Reports in Canada claim that Toronto will pay Spurs around £6million for Defoe, whose current deal had 18 months left to run.

Toronto are also understood to be putting the finishing touches to a move for USA midfield star Michael Bradley from Italian side Roma.

The total cost of both deals would be in excess of $100million and would represent two of the biggest transfers ever seen in MLS.