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LAFC have signed Tottenham Hotspur legend Heung-Min Son. Tottenham and LAFC announced on Wednesday that Son was going to join the Major League Soccer side. The Korean was set to enter the final year of his contract this season, and wasn’t planned as a starter by new manager Thomas Frank. On Saturday, Son confirmed that he wants to leave the club. “Before we start the press conference, I wanted to say I have decided to leave the Club this summer,” Son said. “It was the most difficult decision I have made in my career. Such amazing memories.” Son has signed a Designated Player contract until 2027 with club options for 2028 and 2029.Â
With Son’s contract set to expire in 2026, LAFC have been pushing to convince the Korean winger to move to the United States and finally agreed a $26 million (€22m) deal with Tottenham. The transfer makes Son the most expensive player in MLS history, breaking a record set by Emmanuel Latte Lath (Atlanta United) last winter. It is the third-highest fee ever paid for a player 33 years or older. Son, in turn, would be guaranteed a starting role in what will be a crucial year ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in North America next summer. Signing Son was considered an almost impossible task, and even now, LAFC have to fight off interest from elsewhere. But the Korean’s announcement on Saturday has made the Los Angeles club the favorite to sign the Tottenham star.
With a market value of €20m, the Korean becomes the second most valuable player in MLS, together with LA Galaxy star playmaker Riqui Puig. Inter Miami CF have completed the transfer of Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid, and the Argentine midfielder has a market value of €25m, making him the most valuable player in the league. The arrival of both star players in the same window could mark the start of a major transfer offensive by MLS clubs. Son isn’t the only star player to arrive in MLS either. The Vancouver Whitecaps have signed Thomas Müller from Bayern Munich. Müller was linked with a move to LAFC by German media, but that deal was never really on as the California club focused on Son from the very start.
Heung-Min Son to LAFC – A new dimension for MLS?
The forward would also be instantly one of the biggest signings in league history with a significant following in Korea and across South-East Asia. Indeed, the transfer could also catapult LAFC into a new dimension within its own market. The Athletic notes in its reporting that Los Angeles is home to approximately 320,000 ethnic Koreans. Son is also a recognizable Premier League star. The Tottenham captain has scored 127 goals and provided 77 assists in 333 Premier League games. The winger also won the Europa League this spring, his first trophy with Tottenham, which could further motivate him to start a new chapter in his career.
What would he add to LAFC on the pitch? Despite being 33, Son adds significant pace to LAFC. Indeed, club sources have told Transfermarkt when asked about the potential addition of German playmaker Müller that the priority was to add speed to the team. The pursuit of Son, in fact, would explain the pushback Transfermarkt received from sources when asked about a potential Müller transfer to LAFC. The German was never in the plans in Los Angeles and officially joined the Vancouver Whitecaps earlier today. The club, according to sources, wants to become faster and more dynamic and isn’t entirely sure whether Müller can fulfill those needs. Those same reservations don’t exist when it comes to Son, however.