TOTTENHAM mutually agreed to terminate Matt Doherty's contract to allow him to join Atletico Madrid.
Spurs had looked set to send the Irishman on a straight loan to Atletico.
But due to already having eight players farmed out internationally - the maximum according to Fifa rules - they instead allowed him to leave for nothing.
A Spurs statement read: "We have mutually agreed to the termination of Matt Doherty’s contract to enable him to join another club.
"We should like to thank Matt for his service and wish him well for the future."
Premier League odds and betting tips
Doherty was in Madrid yesterday looking to tie up his switch to Atletico.
The Irishman did have 18 months remaining on his Spurs deal.
And now Doherty is expected to finalise a free transfer to Atletico.
In doing so he follows in the footsteps of previous Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier, who moved for £30million in 2019.
Doherty was set to become Spurs' third-choice wing-back following the imminent arrival of Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon.
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS - BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
However, he is now set for a career reprieve after Atletico made a surprise loan bid - despite Diego Simeone supposedly not knowing who he is.
In 2016, and while still playing for Wolves, the right-back revealed he was a huge fan of Simeone’s Atletico side.
Doherty even posted about his admiration for the club on Twitter.
And with a transfer to Atletico now taking place, Doherty’s tweet from almost seven years ago has gone viral with fans of the Spanish giants.
World Cup hero wants Man Utd move as doubts over Harry Maguire's future grow