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Southampton defender Alderweireld hopes for permanent move from Atletico Madrid

Southampton defender Toby Alderweireld has declared he wants to stay at St Mary's.

The Belgian is on-loan from Atletico Madrid.

Alderweireld, 25, said: "This season I want to give it my all at Southampton. Afterwards we'll see if the club wants to buy me from Atletico.

"I'm not going to lie, if they made me an offer I probably would accept. I'm just so happy here.

"I'm possibly in the best shape of my life at the moment. I feel happy and I'm really enjoying the Premier League. Last season I didn't get to play much at Atletico, and during that time on the bench I learned a lot. It was hard, but I didn't stop me.

"I kept working hard, tried to fight back and stayed hungry for more opportunities on the field in the future. Now every effort is paying off.

"But as I said, let's focus on the rest of season first. Next summer we both have time to think about the future."

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