Barring a last minute snag, U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore will be presented as a Toronto FC player on Friday.
Sources told ESPN FC of Toronto's plan on Thursday morning and club general manager Bezbatchenko confirmed the news later in the day at the MLS draft.
"We're confident that process will be done in the next 24 hours," Bezbatchenko said.
Altidore arrived in Toronto on Thursday from England, where he spent an unsuccessful 18th-month stint with Premier League Sunderland. He was scheduled to undergo a medical exam in Canada's largest city in advance of the transfer being completed, the sources said.
Toronto FC published a photo of Altidore at the airport on Thursday:
Look who we found at the airport! Welcome @JozyAltidore #TFClive pic.twitter.com/GisL3RtUbH
- Toronto FC (@torontofc) January 15, 2015
A swap deal between the clubs was agreed earlier in the week, with former Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe headed to join Gus Poyet's side. But the deal appeared to be in jeopardy on Wednesday, with the 25-year-old Altidore at the mercy of MLS's convoluted allocation process.
The New York Red Bulls, Altidore's first pro team, reportedly made a late, league-backed play for their former star. But that ultimately fell though, according to reports, paving the way for Toronto to sign the player.
Altidore, 25, managed just one Premier League goal for Sunderland, which bought his rights from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in 2013 for just under $10 million. But Altidore has 25 goals in 76 international games for the United States, and in his previous MLS stint scored 15 times in 37 matches before being sold to Spain's Villarreal in 2008, when he was just 18.
If and when the move becomes official, Altidore will be added to the national team's roster for a Jan. 28 friendly in Chile.
He will be reunited with international teammate Michael Bradley with Toronto FC, which last season failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs for a record eighth consecutive season.
ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle contributed to this report.