LONDON // The Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe is set to return to Tottenham Hotspur after the two clubs agreed a transfer fee. The move is expected to be finalised later today after Pompey finally agreed to let the England international return to White Hart Lane for a fee reported to be £15 million (Dh80.5m). Portsmouth issued a statement saying they have accepted Tottenham's bid and Defoe travelled to London for a medical check at Spurs.
He will team up for the third time with manager Harry Redknapp, who moved to Tottenham from Portsmouth in late October. Defoe had four years with Tottenham before moving to Portsmouth a year ago for £9m because he was not getting regular starts with the north London club, with Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane ahead of him in the pecking order. He also played under Redknapp at West Ham. The striker netted eight goals in his first seven games for Portsmouth after his move away from Spurs last season and has scored nine times this term.
Tottenham have had a move for the Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing turned down, but they could sign the Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah, who is currently without a club and is training with the club this week at their Spurs Lodge training ground, and could sign until the end of the season. Appiah is a free agent having fallen out with Turkish club Fenerbahce. *AP
