S. Korean football icon departs for Los Angeles on Tuesday ahead of expected move to LAFC

Football star Son Heung-min departed South Korea late Tuesday for the U.S. amid news that he is poised to set a fresh record for Major League Soccer transfer fee.

Our Kim Bo-kyoung reports.

After bidding farewell to Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, South Korean football icon Son Heung-min departed for Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.

He signed autographs for hundreds of fans who had gathered to get a glimpse of him at Incheon International Airport, before boarding an LA-bound flight.

Several reports, have said that Son is expected to join Major League Soccer team Los Angeles FC, with only the final details of the transfer, completing paperwork and doing a medical check, remaining.

Son could officially announce his contract with LAFC as early as Wednesday local time.

When it comes to his transfer fee,

Both BBC and ESPN said Son was moving for a fee of around 26 million U.S. dollars, which is around 36 billion Korean won.

If the number is correct, the figure would break the MLS record 22 million U.S. dollars Atlanta United spent to have Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough.

This would make his move to LAFC the highest transfer fee in MLS history.

Son's new chapter in the U.S. comes after he ended a decade-long journey with Tottenham with a farewell game: Tottenham's preseason match against Newcastle United at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday.

"One of the toughest decisions of my football career."

This is how he described his feelings, as he announced that he is no longer going to be a Premier League player.

Since joining the Tottenham in 2015, Son is fifth on the all-time scoring list for the team with 173 goals in all competitions.

He won the Premier League Golden Boot as the league's joint top scorer in the 2021-2022 season,

and captained the team to the UEFA Europa League title in May, which was the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Kim Bo-kyoung, Arirang News.