Soccer-Tottenham sign Atletico defender Alderweireld

LONDON, July 8 (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. "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. (Reporting by Michael Hann; Editing by Amlan Chakraborty)