Toby Alderweireld's future at Tottenham has been uncertain for some time.
Since suffering a knee injury in late 2017 and then struggling to regain his position in Mauricio Pochettino's starting XI amid ongoing contract talks, a departure looked inevitable last summer.
Just under 12 months before that knee injury, whistleblowers Football Leaks claimed the existence of a £25.4million release clause in Alderweireld contract, which was then just 18 months old.
Spurs, correctly, denied the claims before clarity on the situation came to light.
Alderweireld ended up staying, going on to become one of the club's most consistent performers last season and the club triggered the one-year extension option in his contract.
Alderweireld's contract clause explained
When Alderweireld joined from Atletico Madrid in 2015, he signed a four-year contract, running until the summer of 2019, with the option of a further year.
However, should Spurs trigger a fifth year of the deal, meaning the contract runs until 2020, it would activate a £25m release clause in the summer transfer window of 2019.
The clause would run until the final two weeks of the transfer window, allowing Spurs adequate time to find a replacement if required.
When does the clause expire?
The shortening of the summer transfer window from the summer of 2018 has benefited Tottenham. The close-season window is around three weeks shorter than usual.
This means the clause now expires as the clock strikes midnight on the evening of Thursday, July 25.
Transfer windows across Europe remain open later, but this will not mean the clause is active for longer for clubs outside England.
