Sunderland are in talks with Toronto FC over a swap deal for Jermain Defoe.

The Daily Mail says Defoe is closing in on a return to English football as part of a swap deal involving Sunderland misfit Jozy Altidore.

Gus Poyet has been working on a deal to end Altidore's nightmare at the Stadium of Light by allowing him to leave the club and move to Major League Soccer side Toronto as part of a swoop for Defoe.

Poyet is desperate to add firepower to Sunderland's strike force and Defoe has pedigree in the Premier League after spells at West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth.

The biggest stumbling block to Defoe's return remains his £70,000-a-week wages but the potential to trade Altidore has softened the financial burden for the Black Cats.