• 'I am honoured, but I am only just getting started with Ajax' • André Villas-Boas and Roberto Martínez favourites for role

Liverpool have received another setback in their search for a successor to Kenny Dalglish after the Ajax head coach, Frank de Boer, turned down an approach to discuss the vacant manager's job. The Dutchman's decision comes after Swansea's Brendan Rodgers and Borussia Dortmund's double-winning coach, Jürgen Klopp, also told the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, that they did not want to be considered for the role.

De Boer was on Liverpool's radar after securing back-to-back Eredivisie titles with Ajax, where he has also earned praise for the fluid attacking play he has adopted since taking over from Martin Jol in 2010. The 42-year-old former defender said he was flattered by the approach, but wanted to continue his project at the club where he spent most of his playing career.

"I am honoured by the request, but I am only just getting started with Ajax," De Boer told De Telegraaf. "In Amsterdam we are on a new path and, along with the club and Wim Jonk and Dennis Bergkamp, my colleagues in the technical heart, I want to bring good things. That's why I will stay loyal to Ajax in the coming years."

The former Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas and Wigan Athletic's Roberto Martínez are now seen as the frontrunners for the position at Liverpool, and both will hold talks with Anfield officials this week.

Rafael Benítez, who has made no secret of his desire to return to the club where he won the Champions League in 2005, has not yet been approached although FSG may consider interviewing the Spaniard depending on the outcome of the talks with the other candidates.

Benítez may be encouraged by Villas-Boas's apparent desire not to be rushed into his next move. Villas-Boas, no doubt mindful of his testing nine months at Chelsea, was quoted on Sunday as saying: "I'm still choosing the right project and that decision will take the necessary time."

Villas-Boas also congratulated his successor at Stamford Bridge, Roberto Di Matteo, for their Champions League success. "The biggest award is to win the Champions League," the Portuguese said. "Congratulations to Di Matteo and the players."