Chinese clubs have made offers for footballers all around the world, but it often looks like some of the reporting is just assumption, to put it kindly.
It was inevitable offers from China would be reported for the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli, but it doesn’t make it true.
Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad says interest in several Belgian internationals is real, and one of those is Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele. It’s reported at least five Belgian stars have ‘lucrative offers’ from China, and they haven’t all completely ruled out the idea.
Het Nieuwsblad quote Tottenham’s Dembele as saying: “It is a very difficult choice.
“For young players who are still growing, it is not wise to go. For older players maybe it’s different. But honestly I have no idea about the level of football. It is hard to say.”
Dembele is 29 years of age and may well be tempted by the money on offer in China. It’s unlikely Mauricio Pocettino would be keen to part with the player, and there’s no specific club mentioned as a possible destination.
In 2015 Tottenham were one of the first Premier League clubs to benefit from the China boom, selling Paulinho to Guangzhou Evergrande.
DH are also covering the story, carrying the exact same claims, but for Belgium’s French speakers, and they say it’s only Romelu Lukaku who has ruled the idea out, and for the others, which would include Tottenham’s Dembele, ‘The temptation is there’.
