Toby Alderweireld rejected Liverpool to join Atletico Madrid

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.