Tottenham transfer news: Toby Alderweireld to make imminent move to Spurs with Southampton likely to get share of £11.5m fee

Alderweireld has passed his medical at the club

(Getty Images)

Toby Alderweireld's £11.5m transfer to Tottenham is imminent after the Atletico Madrid defender passed his medical with the club, writes Simon Johnson in the Evening Standard.

Standard Sport understands the Belgium international was examined by Spurs on Monday and is on the verge of completing a move to White Hart Lane.

The switch, which will see Tottenham pay £10m up front with another £1.5m in add-ons, is just waiting on some final paperwork to be processed, but it is only a matter of time before it is made official.

Alderweireld has already agreed terms on a five-year contract which is expected to earn him a salary in excess of £50,000-a-week.

The news will come as a bitter blow to Southampton, where the 26-year-old spent last season on loan.

They have threatened to take legal action against Atletico in an attempt to block the deal. Southampton had an option to sign him for £6.8m and claim Atletico's promise to pay their get-out clause worth £1.5m, which would negate the proviso between them, came too late.

However, sources in Spain suggest that Southampton's right to buy Alderweireld for such a cheap sum ran out when his loan officially expired at the end of last month.

As far as Spurs are concerned, the issue has nothing to do with them and is not a hindrance to the transfer going ahead.

Standard Sport first revealed last week that chairman Daniel Levy was travelling to meet with Atletico officials before the weekend and that Alderweireld had travelled to London yesterday to finalise the deal.

Southampton director of football Les Reed has gone to Madrid to sort out the situation with Atletico, where their most likely outcome is to get a share of the fee Tottenham are going to pay.

Ronald Koeman, the Southampton manager, admits he has been left confused by the prospect of missing out on a player that impressed under him last term.

He said: "Southampton signed an option for the player and Atletico Madrid is trying to take back the option.

"In our knowledge this was too late and what happened with Tottenham in the middle, I don't know.

"The player told us he was very happy about Southampton. We mentioned to the player that we would like to continue and that was the case to Atletico Madrid and what happened after, I don't know."