Son Heung-min news: Huge Tottenham relief as report reveals critical factor has thwarted Liverpool transfer raid
Liverpool could have made a move for Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min in the summer until one condition scuppered them, a report has claimed.
Son shared the Premier League’s golden boot award with Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah this season. Each player scored 23 goals in the top flight. However, it has now come to light that they could have been lining up on the same side under a different set of circumstances.
According to Football.London, Liverpool had Son on their shortlist of potential reinforcements for their frontline ahead of the summer transfer window.
Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane are all in the final year of their contracts. The latter is reportedly ready to leave the club. Therefore, Liverpool will have to replace him.
They already took Luis Diaz in the January transfer window, perhaps with that in mind. But they have still lined up alongside one another, with Salah, on several occasions.
Therefore, Liverpool will have a void to fill next season. It could be the responsibility of Firmino, Diogo Jota, or perhaps a new arrival.
Per Football.London, their new man could have been Son. However, the move hinged on whether Tottenham would qualify for the Champions League or not.
For a long time this season, that seemed unlikely. But a slip-up from Arsenal and improvements for Spurs under Antonio Conte meant they sealed fourth place.
The report claims Liverpool would only have tested Tottenham’s resolve for Son Heung-min if their Premier League rivals had finished outside the top four. Hence, once Conte got Spurs over the line, Liverpool’s hopes for Son were over before they had really begun.
It is also added that Tottenham could have thwarted their attempts anyway. They have Son under contract until 2025 after he signed an extension last July.
The South Korea international has represented them with distinction since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015. For most of that time, he has operated well in a partnership with Harry Kane.
Son Heung-min would have fit in well at Liverpool
Central to Tottenham’s project, that should continue to be the case next season. Liverpool, for their part, will have to come up with a different solution.
If Tottenham are trying to close the gap with the likes of Liverpool, then keeping Son away from them is certainly good news.
The 29-year-old has done well for Tottenham throughout his time in north London. Sometimes underappreciated, his recent goalscoring accolade has put him in the spotlight as he deserves.
Some have wondered why Tottenham haven’t had too much of a struggle to keep Son before. Now, it is not surprising to hear someone like Liverpool may have been interested.
Their need for a new attacker will be apparent if Mane leaves. Son, who can operate centrally or on the left wing, would have been an adequate replacement.
He has the technical ability to thrive in any system and the work rate to impress Jurgen Klopp – or indeed, any coach.
Fortunately for Tottenham, it is Conte who will be benefitting from Son’s talents again next season, barring a dramatic turn of events. He should only enhance his reputation in a Spurs shirt.
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