Toby Alderweireld said he was not interested in leaving the club this summer amid reports he was set to join Manchester United.
Sources have said that United made a £50 million bid for Alderweireld, £20m less than Tottenham wanted, and negotiations over the Belgium international continued until the Premier League transfer deadline on Aug. 9.
“Everyone was saying everywhere that I absolutely wanted to leave Tottenham,” Alderweireld said at a news conference ahead of Belgium’s UEFA Nations League game against Iceland on Tuesday.
“That’s not true. This summer, I quickly understood Tottenham wanted to keep me. So, I had to battle to get my place back in the team. To be in the first team again is a victory for me.”
Alderweireld has yet to agree the terms of a new contract with Tottenham, and his current deal, which expires after the 2019-20 season, includes a clause that will allow him to leave for £25m next summer.
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