Tottenham make 'reluctant' Son Heung-min transfer decision amid Saudi Pro League interest

Tottenham Hotspur will 'reluctantly' accept a sizeable offer for captain Son Heung-min in the summer transfer window, according to a report.

When the South Korean's one-year contract extension was activated last season, then-manager Ange Postecoglou revealed that the main motivation was to give him the best possible chance of ending his Spurs career with silverware.

That mission was a success, as Tottenham's 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final gifted Son his maiden major honour as a Lilywhites player.

However, there have seemingly been no discussions about a long-term renewal for Son, who will therefore become a free agent in just over 12 months' time.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man was recently questioned about his long-term future, to which he was non-committal, simply stating that he still has a year left to run on his Spurs deal.

Spurs could 'reluctantly agree' to Son sale

However, with clubs from the Saudi Pro League said to be keeping a watchful eye on developments, journalist Pete O'Rourke claims that Tottenham will part ways with their captain this summer if it is in their best interests financially.

"You’ll have to take a huge offer from the Saudi Pro League to convince Son to make the move away from North London, and also for Tottenham to sell him," O'Rourke told Football Insider.

"From the business side of things, if you look at it from that perspective, this could be the ideal opportunity for Spurs to cash in, but a lot will depend on what the player himself thinks as well.

“I think everything’s up in the air with Son right now. I’m sure the player himself is happy at Tottenham, and ideally, he would like to stay. But if a big offer comes in and it allows Spurs to balance the books with FFP and maybe generate funds for their own transfer plans, it’s something they would reluctantly agree to."

Son's 2024-25 Tottenham season saw the 32-year-old manage 11 goals and 12 assists in 46 games for the Lilywhites, taking his total for the club to an eye-catching 173 strikes and 101 helpers in 454 appearances since 2015.

Has the time come for Son to move on?

Son will celebrate his 33rd birthday in a few weeks' time, and unless you are a certain ilk of attacker - think Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah - a decline at his age is natural.

Nevertheless, the South Korean still hit double figures in both goals and assists last season, and he remains an exceptional example to follow both on and off the field for Spurs' younger players.

However, new boss Thomas Frank has already secured the permanent signing of Mathys Tel from Bayern Munich, while their pursuit of Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo is seemingly intensifying.

Furthermore, it has been claimed that Tottenham are also targeting a second Bees attacker alongside Mbeumo, so unless Son is happy to accept more of a bit-part role next season, it could be time for a new adventure after a decade of service.

Written by
Ben Knapton