19 June 2023 , 23:00
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Son Heung-min has been offered a whopping £100million to join Saudi Arabian champions Al-Ittihad, as the Gulf state continues its drive to become a global footballing force.
With Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and soon enough the likes of N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves plying their trade in the Saudi Pro League, Tottenham star Son has become the latest big-name player to be linked with a lucrative move. The South Korean forward, 30, is being eyed by Al-Ittihad, who recently recruited Benzema and have agreed a deal with Kante.
According to ESPN, the newly-crowned Saudi champs - who beat Ronaldo's Al-Nassr to the title last season - are preparing an opening bid in the region of €60million (£51m). Al-Ittihad have also offered Son a lucrative four-year contract which would see him earn €30m (£25.6m) per season.
While there's confidence in the Middle East that the 30-year-old could be tempted, Tottenham are unwilling to listen to offers and have Son tied down on a contract until 2025. His departure would serve as a serious blow for new manager Ange Postecoglou, who's already fighting to keep captain Harry Kane at the club.
Son has been a Spurs player since 2015, having made the move from German side Bayer Leverkusen. Scoring an impressive 145 goals in 372 games and recording 80 assists, the South Korea captain remains a crucial component in Tottenham's attack and has shown no desire to leave North London this summer.
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In fact, back in April, Son declared that he has a "few more years to play" at the top level. "I will try to keep scoring more goals," he vowed, having gone sixth in Spurs' all-time top goalscorers list, matching Jermaine Defoe. "I want to go a little bit higher [in the top scorers list], so I will do my best.
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Son Heung-min has two more years left on his Tottenham contract (Julian Finney/Getty Images)"It's a big honour to have been playing for a few years now at this club. Obviously I'm not really focused to be tied with this goalscoring record, obviously I just want to help the team, but it's a big honour to be compared with Jermain Defoe, who is a Spurs legend and scored so many goals for Spurs. So I think to tie this goal tally makes me hugely proud."
Despite Son not being at his best last term, Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris insists that his team-mate hasn't lost his infectious personality. "Sonny's still the same guy, honestly. The years have gone so fast! He has the same enthusiasm, same positivity, same energy, he just has 100 more Premier League goals," Lloris remarked.
"Year after year, he's reached different levels and today, he belongs up there with the best. He's probably the best Asian player of all-time. More important than all that is the human side. It's a joy to be with him and, for sure, he wants to continue a few more years like this."
Defender Ben Davies also lauded: "It takes a special player to be able to contribute as much in games as he does and to be that effective, consistently. You see a lot of good wingers out there, but not many get anywhere near his contributions. It’s incredibly impressive and huge for our team."