Villarreal have completed and officially confirmed the signing of Serge Aurier on a free transfer. The 28-year-old has signed a contract set to keep him on board the Yellow Submarine for the rest of the season, with an option to extend the agreement by further two years, after his deal with Tottenham Hotspur was terminated by mutual agreement at the end of the summer transfer window.
Aurier arrived to North London in the summer of 2017. He made a total of 110 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, scoring eight goals and contributing 17 assists. He helped them reach the Champions League final in 2019, though a hamstring issue ruled him out after the round of 16.
The Ivorian right-back had entered the final year of his contract with the Premier League side, and he had reportedly informed them of his desire to leave next summer. Seeing no point in maintaining his employment until then, Spurs agreed to terminate the deal a season early in order to save money on his wages. Interestingly enough, he was linked with Arsenal at one point and was reported to be open to the idea of joining the arch-rivals of his former club.
Having passed his medical and signed the contract with Villarreal, Aurier will now head out to join the Ivory Coast national side, where he has been called up to play against Malawi in consecutive World Cup qualifiers, on October 8th and 11th.
He will be presented as a new Villarreal player upon his subsequent return to Spain.
