Tottenham Hotspur are close to beating Southampton to sign Atletico Madrid’s Toby Alderweireld.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy and Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil have reportedly agreed on a price of £11.5 million after successful talks over the weekend.
Although the deal is not complete, it looks as if the 26-year-old will spend next season with Tottenham despite spending the 2014-15 season on loan with Southampton.
Alderweireld impressed while at St. Mary’s, and manager Ronald Koeman was hoping to sign the defender permanently, stating he had “a good hope he will stay for Southampton.”
The loan deal Southampton agreed to with Atletico included a £6.8 million buy-out clause. However, while Atletico intended to cancel the buy-out clause in order to sell Alderweireld for a higher price, sources are conflicted as to whether or not they paid the £1.5 million fee on time.
If the La Liga club did indeed cancel the buy-out clause, then Saints would have to match Levy’s bid of £11.5 million in order to secure Alderweireld, and the possibility of the defender signing on with Spurs would be much more likely.
However, if Southampton believe Atletico did not cancel in time, then the club may consider legal action if Tottenham complete the signing of the Belgian.
