Toby Alderweireld deal finalized?

It would appear that this messy fiasco involving Atletico Madrid and Belgian international defender Toby Alderweireld, is about to come to end. Transfer rumors come and go, but when we get something concrete from a source such as The Guardian, that's when we can start to relax, and it would appear that is what has happened.

The Guardian is reporting that the deal that will send Alderweireld to White Hart Lane is all but wrapped up. The hold up has been the speculation of just who screwed up between Atletico and Southampton, and the report confirms that.

The deal, though, rests on Atlético being able to resolve a dispute with Southampton, where Alderweireld played last season on loan. The south-coast club had the option to make the 26-year-old’s transfer permanent for €8m, unless Atlético paid them €2m to cancel the arrangement.

Southampton took up the option and they say that Atlético then failed to meet the deadline on the cancellation fee, meaning that the player ought to be theirs. The reality, though, is that because Southampton lack the will of Alderweireld, it is impractical for them to force him to come to them. Les Reed, Southampton’s executive director, is instead in negotiations with Atlético over a settlement that relates to the €2m non-payment.

It looks as though just about everything we heard has been true. Southampton believe that they were in the right to purchase Alderweireld for the agreed upon £6.8m fee, and they may have. However, Alderweireld held all the power in this case, and with him in North London to do his medical, it would appear that Southampton might just get some extra compensation for the deal to clear.

So, in short, the deal appears imminent. It may even come before the end of the day. Southampton is going to get a little extra money, Atletico is going to get a higher fee for their player, and Tottenham Hotspur will continue their quest to sign all the Belgians.

Update (3:36 AM): Just because I love you all and I'm dealing with insomnia, here's an update for you from Kristof Terreur, who has been on this story from the beginning.

@seancahill24 5 year deal (but could be 4+1). Wages: don't know.

— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) July 8, 2015

It was kind of him to respond to my tweet, and we'll see if he's correct.