The 31-year-old midfielder, who has battled a foot problem for some time, has six months to run on his Spurs contract and has long seen China as his next destination.
Often hailed as one of the most technically gifted midfielders in the English top-flight, the sheer physicality of the division has seemingly caught up with the Belgian.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 8, 2019
Having arrived in England with Fulham back in 2010 as a skilfull forward, Dembele developed into a central midfielder since joining Spurs in a £15m six years ago.
Despite his key role under manager Mauricio Pochettino, who often hailed him as a creative 'genius', the club have opted to allow the former AZ Alkmaar man discuss a lucrative switch to the Far East in order to prevent him from joining a European rival on a Bosman free transfer - due to his current contract having only six months remaining.