South Korean football star Son Heung-min is expected to be formally announced as joining Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer, as eager fans are already waiting to welcome him to the club.
ESPN and The Athletic say that Son, who left Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, will join LAFC for an MLS-record $26 million transfer price.
On Tuesday night, LAFC arranged a news conference for a “major announcement” on Wednesday at 2 p.m. local time (2100 GMT), which appears to be the introduction of Son.
Following press reports about Son’s likely arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, some 40 fans went to see if they could get a signature, photograph, or possibly catch a sight of their idol.
They were unable to see Son, however, after his sendoff in South Korea a few hours earlier.
“Son is immensely important to me. I used to wake up at five or six in the morning to watch him play in England,” Jun Kwon, a 19-year-old fan, told AFP.
“He’s going to change things here. My father and I, who had no interest in MLS, are already won over.”
He was dressed in a gold and black LAFC jersey with his idol’s name emblazoned on it, which he had purchased on Tuesday morning.
He scored 173 goals in 454 outings during his ten-year spell with Spurs.
The winger announced his departure from Tottenham last weekend in Seoul, following his farewell encounter with the Premier League club.
He will join LAFC to replace French striker Olivier Giroud, who was moved to Lille in July, and will share a locker room with his former Tottenham teammate Hugo Lloris.
