Tottenham captain Son Heung-min has announced he will leave the club in the summer. The forward made the announcement at a press conference ahead of Spurs' pre-season friendly with Newcastle in the player's home country of South Korea on Sunday. It will also be his last game for the Londoners.

Tottenham's new manager Thomas Frank confirmed at a press conference that Son will start with the captain's armband against the Magpies.

The 33-year-old wants to play in Major League Soccer despite interest from Saudi Arabia. MLS and LAFC, who are serious about the player, are set to speed up talks with Spurs over a move to American soil.

"I made the decision to leave the club in the summer. With respect, my club is helping me with it. This is the most difficult decision of my career. So many incredible memories. It was so hard to make this choice. I need a new environment to motivate myself. A slight change - 10 years is a very long time. I came to North London as a kid, 23 years old, such a young age. I leave this club as a grown and proud man. I want to thank the Tottenham fans for all the love they have given me. I hope the timing for this farewell is good and this is the right moment for me to make this decision. I hope people respect it and accept it", said an emotional Son.

He confirmed that he had made the decision some time ago, but had only shared his intentions with a few players. Frank himself knew about it before the team's first test against Reading earlier this month.

Son is Tottenham's fourth-highest scorer, behind only Harry Kane, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Smith. He has 173 goals and 101 assists for Spurs in all competitions, including 127 goals and 27 assists in 333 Premier League appearances.

His last competitive match will be the 1:0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao. He came off the bench after half-time to lift the trophy at the final whistle - the team's first since 2008.

Cristian Romero is expected to be the new Tottenham captain. | BGNES