Jermain Defoe has revealed he once rejected a move to Juventus to stay in the Premier League.
The former England striker is the top-flight’s tenth highest scorer of all-time with 163 goals in 496 appearances.
Those strikes came across spells with Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, West Ham, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.
However, he had the opportunity to move to Italy prior to his second spell with Spurs.
Just a year after leaving the club for Pompey, Defoe reunited with the man who had taken him to Fratton Park.
Redknapp swooped to link up with the forward for a third time in January 2009.
It followed their previous time together at West Ham early in Defoe’s career.
Reflecting on his return to White Hart Lane, the 42-year-old told talkSPORT Drive: “I remember back when I was at Portsmouth, and obviously Harry got the Tottenham job, and I went back to Tottenham.
“I got a phone call a few days before that about Juventus. I was like, ‘I promised Harry I was going to go back to Tottenham.’
“But even then, for me, I just thought, I just want to be in the Premier League. It always has been the best league in the world.
“And then I went to Toronto [in the MLS]. I was 31 at the time. But then, within the first few months, I knew I wanted to come back.
“I missed it so much and then I decided to come back to Sunderland.”
Defoe had promised Redknapp he would go back to Spurs after his appointmentGetty Redknapp previously managed Defoe at both West Ham and PortsmouthGettyDefoe went on to score 54 goals in 121 appearances under Redknapp in his second spell at Spurs.
He would later leave the Premier League for the MLS in 2014 – spending 11 months with Toronto FC.
His only other experience outside England came with Scottish giants Rangers towards the end of his playing days.
Meanwhile, Defoe has admitted his surprise at Jobe Bellingham’s decision to opt against the chance to play in the Premier League.
The 19-year-old completed a move to Borussia Dortmund from newly-promoted Sunderland last week.
He had helped the Black Cats return to the top-flight via the play-offs before penning a five-year deal with the German club.
Asked if he was surprised by the move, Defoe said: “I was, to be honest.
“Listen, it’s a massive move. His brother [Jude] did it.
“But at the same time, I just thought, ‘What a chance to let a young player show how good you are in the Premier League.’
“When an opportunity comes like that, you just don’t know. Obviously because his brother did it, trying to follow in his brother’s footsteps.”
Jude Bellingham spent three years with Dortmund between 2020 and 2023 before joining Real Madrid for £115million.
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