Toby Alderweireld

Liverpool's hopes of signing Ajax's Toby Alderweireld may still be alive after Bayer Leverkusen expressed concerns over the Dutch club's asking price for the defender.

The Belgian centre half has been coveted by a number of clubs across Europe after another commanding campaign in Holland and has been heavily linked with a move that would see him follow Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen from Amsterdam to the Premier League.

Bayer appeared to have beaten the competition to Alderweireld's signature, with Champions League football next season a big incentive on offer, but the Bundesliga club are seemingly less than impressed with Ajax's demands of a transfer fee.

German outlet Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger reports that the Eredivisie champions have valuated Alderweireld at €7.5m, a fee that Bayer "find a bit overpriced" according to the club's CEO Wolfgang Holzhauser.

In a move that may also have a bearing on Bayer's move for Alderweireld, the Bundesliga club have reportedly agreed a fee of €3m with Inter Milan to sign Giulio Donati.

The defender enjoyed an impressive Under-21 European Championships over the past two weeks with Italy, but his peripheral role within the Nerazzurri set up has allowed Bayer to almost secure a cut price move for the promising 23-year-old, reports suggest.

The move for Donati combined with their concerns over a transfer fee could see Leverkusen's move for Alderweireld fall apart, particularly after the defender's agent expressed his concerns over the contract his client was presented with earlier this week.

These developments could rekindle Liverpool's interest. After recruiting Kolo Toure on a free transfer at the beginning of the month, Brendan Rodgers is still keen to add to his defensive options.

The club are on the reportedly on the brink of securing deals for the attacking trio of Sevilla's Luis Alberto, Porto winger Christian Atsu and Shakhtar Donestk's rising star Henrikh Mkhitaryan, possibly within the week.

But with the exception of Toure, the northern Irish manager is yet to add to his defensive ranks; an increasingly pressing concern as speculation regarding the future of his current options swirls.

Martin Skrtel remains linked with a move to Napoli after falling drastically out of favour last season, while Sebastian Coates has struggled to impose himself at all on the Liverpool squad since his arrival in the summer of 2011.

Danish international Dan Agger appeared to be the club's only assured option at the heart of defence for next season, but the 28-year-old has been linked with a move to Barcelona once again.

Boosted by the sale of Andy Carroll to West Ham, Rodgers is likely pursue additional defensive recruits sooner rather than later.