Toby Alderweireld has admitted that it is a "dream" for him to join a "big club" like Tottenham Hotspur.

The 26-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Southampton from Atletico Madrid, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at White Hart Lane.

The defender has revealed that his Belgium teammates Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele and Nacer Chadli convinced him to sign for the North London outfit.

"I'm very proud to become a Spurs player," Alderweireld told the club's official website. "I'm very happy to be here and I hope to have a wonderful time with this team.

"From the beginning I knew a lot about [the club] from Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele and Nacer Chadli. It's a big club and it's always been a dream to play at a club like Spurs. Now that dream is coming true so I'm very happy, very proud and I will give my best."

The transfer comes amid a legal dispute between Southampton and Atletico, who are alleged to have missed the deadline to cancel the Saints' option of signing Alderweireld on a permanent deal at the end of last season.