Tottenham Hotspur have exercised a clause in the contract of defender Toby Alderweireld to keep him at the club for an extra 12 months.

The Belgian's previous deal was due to expire at the end of the season, and he has been free to discuss terms with foreign teams since the beginning of this month.

However, Spurs have now triggered an extension which keeps him in North London until 2020, temporarily ending speculation over his future at the club.

"The club can confirm that we have activated the option to extend Toby Alderweireld's contract until 2020," read a statement on the official Tottenham website.

"The Belgium international defender has made 135 appearances for us to date since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2015.

"Capped 88 times by his country, Toby began his professional career with Eredivisie side Ajax before moving to Madrid in 2013. His first introduction to the Premier League came during a season-long loan at Southampton in 2014-15 prior to joining us."

Alderweireld has been heavily linked with a move away from Spurs in recent transfer windows, most notably being near the top of Manchester United's list of defensive targets last summer.

However, the 29-year-old now looks certain to stay until at least the end of the season, when he will be available for just £25m due to the terms in his contract.

Tottenham are understood to be eager to tie Alderweireld down to a longer deal, but talks over an extension beyond the 12-month clause have so far proved unsuccessful.