Mousa Dembele is ready to quit Tottenham for a double-your-money deal overseas as he feels his body is “no longer up to the physical demands of the Premier League”, according to the Evening Standard.
The London newspaper claim the midfielder, 31, is aware he could more than double his reported £80,000-a-week salary with a move to China or the MLS in the US.
The Standard report that interested clubs may hold off until the summer in offering Dembele a mega contract as he will be available on a free transfer at that point and they won’t have to negotiate a fee with chairman Daniel Levy.
OPINION
Given that Dembele has been out with an ankle injury for the last few months, it makes sense for interested clubs to hold fire on a deal until he regains full fitness. That could end Spurs’ hopes of securing a fee for the Belgian midfielder and make a mockery of Levy holding out for a £20million summer valuation. Certainly, Dembele looked a shadow of his former self in the opening months of the campaign as the years appeared to have caught up with a player who began his professional career aged 16 and has made over 500 club appearances as well as 82 for Belgium. Spurs fans will be sad to bid farewell to the midfield master and will fondly remember his brilliance in the centre of the pitch, and that rare combination of guile, fabulous technique and immense power. His ability to withstand challenges and carry the ball forward has reached legendary status in recent years. Who could blame him for wanting to end his career with a £160,000-a-week mega contract.