LONDON (REUTERS) - Tottenham Hotspur have signed Atletico Madrid defender Toby Alderweireld on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan with Southampton, making 26 Premier League appearances, and had been linked in media reports with a permanent move to St Mary's.

But the Belgium international will join countrymen Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele and Nacer Chadli at White Hart Lane after joining Spurs for a fee reported in British media to be around 11.5 million pounds (S$24.1 million).

"I'm very proud to be a Tottenham player. I'm happy to be here and hope to have a wonderful time with this team," the club's Twitter feed quoted him as saying.