Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-Min has confirmed he will leave the club this summer, with a move to Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC nearing completion, Afrosport reports.
The 33-year-old joined Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for £22 million and departs as a club legend, having scored 173 goals and contributed 101 assists across 454 appearances.
Son played a pivotal role in ending Tottenham’s 17-year wait for silverware, captaining the side to victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final last May.
With one year remaining on his current contract, the South Korea international is in advanced negotiations with LAFC and with the transfer expected to go through.
Describing the move as “the most difficult one I have made in my career”, Son expressed deep gratitude to Spurs supporters for their unwavering backing over the years.
“I just want to share the information that I have decided to leave this club this summer” the forward said on Friday in a press conference beside new manager Thomas Frank. “Respectfully, this club is helping me to make my decision. It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career.
“The main reason is I have achieved everything I can at Tottenham. I need a new environment for a fresh challenge.
“I have been here for 10 years. It’s a beautiful club with beautiful fans. I have such amazing memories. I just felt like I need a new environment to push myself to get more out of me. I think I need a little bit of change. Ten years is a long time.”
He added: “I came to north London as a kid. 23 years old, a very young age. A boy who couldn’t speak English. I leave this club as a man.
“Thank you to all the Spurs fans who have given me so much love. It felt like it was my home. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever made. I think it is the right time to leave. I hope that everyone understands that and respects that.”
Son could feature one final time in a Tottenham shirt on Sunday, when they take on Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly in front of his home fans in Seoul.
A magician with a legacy etched in Premier League and Tottenham history
Son is set to leave the Premier League as one half of the most prolific attacking duo in its history, forming a deadly partnership with former Tottenham striker Harry Kane.
Together, they combined for a record 47 goals in the English top flight— Son scored 24 goals and Kane added 23, and they both linked up 21 times for goals.
The South Korean departs the league level with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in 16th place on the all-time goalscoring chart, having netted 127 times in 333 Premier League appearances.
Son claimed the Golden Boot in the 2021–22 campaign—sharing the honour with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah—and, in doing so, became the first Asian player to win the prestigious award. He also made history as the first Asian footballer to reach 100 Premier League goals.
A three-time Tottenham Player of the Season, Son took over the captaincy from Hugo Lloris in August 2023 and led the side for two years.
His name is also firmly etched in Spurs’ history books, sitting sixth on the club’s all-time appearance list with 454 matches, trailing only Steve Perryman (854), Gary Mabbutt (611), Pat Jennings (590), Cyril Knowles (506), and Glenn Hoddle (490).
