Sheffield United are the club leading the race to sign Jermain Defoe in the January transfer window, according to reports in England.

The former England international, who has scored 163 goals in the Premier League, has said he would consider leaving current side Bournemouth in the New Year if his playing time doesn’t increase:

“We’ll see what happens. At the end of the day, I’m a footballer and I like playing football. I’m not playing football at the minute so we’ll see what happens.”

Defoe has played just 21 minutes of Premier League football so far this season, with four substitute appearances and no starts.

Cherries boss Eddie Howe has given him a runout in the Carabao Cup, having started the 36-year-old in all three rounds the South Coast club have been involved in so far.

Defoe joined Bournemouth on a free transfer from Sunderland in 2017 and has a contract that runs until 2020.

The Blades could well be interested in the veteran striker to spearhead their push for promotion to the top flight. Chris Wilder’s side currently sit third in the Championship table, just five points off an automatic promotion place.