Classy Belgium will instead move to Serie A.
Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool have missed out on their number one defensive target of the summer after it was revealed that coveted Ajax centre-back Toby Alderweireld would be joining AS Roma at the end of the season rather than move to the Premier League, says the Metro.
Both top-flight giants had been keeping close tabs on the highly-rated captain of the recently-crowned Eredivisie champions for some time now in the hope of being able to persuade the player to quit Holland for England when the transfer window opens on 1 June.
The Belgium international’s current contract at the Amsterdam ArenA only runs until 30 May 2014 and so the Dutch outfit have been keen to offload the player this summer rather than risk losing him on a free next year.
However, according to reports in Italy Alderweireld has agreed to move to the Italian capital, which will be a huge blow to both Tottenham and Liverpool who are known to be on the look-out at present for a new central defender.
Alderweireld, capped 23 times by his country since making his debut four years ago, has appeared in 123 matches for Ajax since 2008, scoring seven goals in the process.
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