The defender’s future at Ajax has been the subject of intense speculation this summer, with several clubs reportedly interested in signing Belgian centre back.
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Ajax have rejected a bid from Atletico Madrid for defender Toby Alderweireld, claiming the Spanish clubs offer wasn’t big enough, Sky Sports reports.
Several European clubs have been cueing up to try and sign the defender, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton all thought to be interested in the centre back.
Alderweireld only has one year remaining on his contract with Ajax, meaning the Dutch club may need to sell the defender or risk him leaving for free next summer.
Atletico Madrid have been another club that have been interested in Alderweireld for most of the summer and have firmed up their interest by making a bid for the player in the last couple of days.
However, Ajax’s sporting director Marc Overmars has confirmed that Atletico’s opening offer has been rejected because it wasn’t “sufficient enough”.
“We have rejected the offer from Atletico Madrid for Toby Alderweireld,” Overmars told De Telegraaf.
“We were contacted this weekend but it was not considered sufficient for a player of the national team of Belgium.”
Atletico’s opening offer for Alderweireld could spark a bidding war with many of the clubs that are interested in the Belgian centre back.
The Belgian has stated recently that he would like to play in the Premier League, with Liverpool mentioned as his most likely destination.