Mousa Dembélé is poised to join Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League, with Tottenham in the process of finalising the paperwork on an £11m transfer.

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. He thought a deal had been agreed last summer only for nothing to materialise.

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Dembélé has come to struggle with the remorseless intensity of the Premier League and believes he will thrive in a lower-tempo league such as China. He has been out since early November with a foot injury.

Dembélé joined Spurs in August 2012 from Fulham for £15m and during his best moments he dictated games from central midfield. Difficult to knock off the ball, he was hailed as a “genius” by Mauricio Pochettino and was frequently described as the best player at the club by teammates.

Pochettino does not expect to make any signings this month, although his scouts are on the lookout. It is more likely there will be further outgoings, with the club prepared to listen to offers for Victor Wanyama, Georges-Kévin Nkoudou, Vincent Janssen, Fernando Llorente and Michel Vorm.