LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has announced that he will leave the club this summer.

The news ends the South Korean's 10-year stay with the North London club that he joined from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.

Son has scored 173 goals in 454 appearances for Tottenham and leaves the club on a high note after captaining Spurs to a 1-0 win over Manchester United in last season's UEFA Europa League final to end a 17-year trophy drought.

Although the 33-year-old has another season on his contract, he looks likely to move to MLS side Los Angeles FC.

He gave the news in a joint press conference with new Tottenham coach Thomas Frank, from the South Korean capital of Seoul, where his side will play Newcastle United on Sunday.

"If that is the last game for Sonny, what a place to do it here in front of his home fans. It could be a beautiful ending," said Frank.

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Son described the decision as "the most difficult one I have made in my career."

"I spent a lot of time reflecting on whether I wanted to experience football in a different environment, and I had those conversations with myself over and over again."

"I came to north London as a kid - a very young age, a young boy came to London who even didn't speak English," said Son, adding that "leaving this club as a grown man is a very, very proud moment."

But he explained he now needed "a new environment to push myself."

"I need a little bit of change - 10 years is a long time. I felt like I had achieved everything I possibly could," he concluded.