Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld has revealed that he rejected the chance to join Liverpool before swapping Ajax for Atletico Madrid on deadline day of the summer transfer window.
The 23-year-old, who had also been linked with a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, moved to the Vicente Calderon for a figure believed to be in the region of £6m.
"The club have been following me now for two or three weeks, and you could see they really wanted me. That is why I turned down approaches from other teams," he told reporters at a press conference.
"Liverpool, for example, appeared in the last few days, but the truth is that Atletico made a huge effort to convince me."
Atletico have won each of their three La Liga games this season.