Serge Aurier completes Villarreal free transfer as ex-Tottenham star links up with former Arsenal boss Unai Emery
VILLARREAL have announced the signing of former Tottenham star Serge Aurier on a free transfer.
The defender, 28, has agreed a one-year deal with the Europa League holders after leaving Spurs on deadline day.
Aurier has agreed to play for the club 'this season' but the contract does have the option of a two-year extension.
The player completed his medical on Monday morning after reports of a transfer emerged on Sunday evening.
Aurier has been without a club since leaving Spurs by mutual consent in August, ending his four-year spell in North London.
The Ivorian made 77 Premier League appearances for Tottenham, helping them reach their first Champions League final in 2019.
Aurier will link up with former Arsenal manager Unai Emery at Villarreal as they try to impose themselves on the LaLiga title race.
The Spanish outfit are currently 11th in the table, picking up 11 points from their opening seven league games.
FREE BETS: GET OVER £2,000 IN NEW CUSTOMER DEALS
The bookies had tipped Aurier to join Real Madrid and there were also rumours linking him with Tottenham's arch rivals Arsenal.
He started his professional career at Lens, playing 40 league games for the French club before joining Toulouse in January 2012.
Aurier signed for Paris Saint-Germain two-and-a-half years later after 72 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse - and achieved success in the capital.
He won two Ligue 1 titles, three French Cups and three French League Cups before swapping Paris for London in August 2017.
Aurier is also an accomplished international, picking up 70 caps for Ivory Coast since making his senior debut in 2013.
He was part of the team that won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, scoring in the penalty shootout triumph against Ghana.
⚽ Read our Football news live blog for the very latest rumours, gossip and done deals