Toronto have refused to rule out Jermain Defoe returning to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

The former England striker is believed to be unsettled in Canada after his ex-Tottenham Hotspur teammate Ryan Nelsen was sacked as manager of the MLS outfit.

Queens Park Rangers failed in a transfer deadline-day swoop for the 32-year-old, but Harry Redknapp is expected to make another move for a player whom he has worked with at three different clubs in the winter.

Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Toronto's parent company, has insisted that Defoe is committed to helping the franchise to the MLS playoffs for the first time, but admitted that his future beyond that is still up in the air.

He said at the Leaders in Sport conference in London: "Jermain Defoe is focused on the remaining four games [of the regular season]. There is no deal, no conversation, not even a thought right now.

"Jermain understands the uniqueness of Major League Soccer, we have playoffs. That's the defining moment on the success of our clubs. Making the play-offs would be a huge step forward [for Toronto]. Jermain now gets that and is totally focused on that.

"As to what happens during the next transfer window, we've all agreed we'll put it on hold and talk about that in December. I compliment Jermain for being committed to trying to get us to the playoffs and making that the only concern that we have right now."

Defoe has scored 11 goals in 16 games for Toronto since joining from Spurs in January 2014.