Rapper Drake speaks during an NBA and Toronto Raptors press conference at the ACC in Toronto on Sept. 30, 2013.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
A phone call from Canadian hip-hop star Drake helped sell England and Spurs striker Jermain Defoe on Toronto FC, according to England's Daily Mirror.
The tabloid reports Defoe was "bowled over" by the call from Drake, who was unveiled in September as the Toronto Raptors' "global ambassador."
Toronto FC and the Raptors are both owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
The MLS club has yet to confirm Defoe's signing in the January transfer window. But privately club officials consider it a done deal.
The Mirror says the 31-year-old Defoe has been offered a deal worth 90,000 pounds a week (C$155,310) as well as unlimited flights for him and his family.
The club will also provide the striker with two houses, according to the paper.