Son Heung-Min is eager to play in this summer's Olympic Games and the Tottenham Hotspur forward met South Korea's Olympics head coach on Friday, a source has told ESPN FC.

The source said Son and Shin Tae-Yong, South Korea's assistant manager and coach of their under-23 team, met in a Seoul hotel, where the Spurs player expressed an interest in playing in Rio de Janeiro.

Yong has previously said he would have "no hesitation" to pick Son for the Games, although the player was reluctant to discuss his possible inclusion in the squad earlier this month, despite admitting he would like to play in the Olympics.

"Why not [play]? It's a very nice tournament and competition and every player wants to go to play there. I've played in the World Cup and Asian Cup and I haven't played in the Olympics. We'll see what happens," he told reporters after scoring in Spurs' 2-1 defeat to Southampton.

In March, South Korea manager Uli Stielike said he had agreed not to select Son for the March internationals in order to boost Tottenham's Premier League title bid, in the hope Spurs would release Son for the Olympics in return.

Olympic squads are restricted to players aged U23 and three overaged wild card players, and South Korea will need Tottenham's permission to pick Son, who turns 24 in July, as a wild card because the Olympic tournament is not part of FIFA's international match calendar.

Spurs have confirmed to ESPN FC that discussions are ongoing but said no decision has been made.

The source also said Son's desire to be picked is partly in the hope of avoiding national service, and that he remains disappointed he made himself unavailable in 2012, when South Korea won Bronze.

Athletes who earn an Olympic medal are exempt from South Korea's mandatory two-year military service -- obligatory for all citizens -- which could be beneficial to Tottenham in the future.

South Korea's first match is against Fiji on Aug. 4 and, if selected, Son could be unavailable until Aug. 20 which would see him miss a significant chunk of preseason and the start of next term.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Dan Kilpatrick, Tottenham Correspondent

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