Transfer news: Liverpool accept Hoffenheim offer for Ryan Babel
Liverpool have announced that they have accepted a bid for Dutchman Ryan Babel from the German side Hoffenheim.
Rumours about Ryan Babel leaving for the German side first surfaced at the start of January 2011 transfer window. However, on Tuesday, a bid was accepted for the former Ajax man.
There were reports coming in earlier suggesting that the Dutch attacker was undergoing a medical at the Bundesliga club. The deal is still to be inked as personal terms between the player and the club are being agreed upon.
“Liverpool FC this afternoon announced they had accepted a bid from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/TSG-1899-Hoffenheim-c40767 for the transfer of Dutch international Ryan Babel,” read the statement on Liverpool’s official club website. “The Bundesliga club have now been given permission to discuss
personal terms with the player, who has travelled to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904.”
Babel has failed to hold down a regular place in Liverpool’s first team since his high profile arrival from Ajax in 2007. He was snapped up by the then Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez for a fee of around £11.5m.
Ryan Babel recently stated that he would like to play more regular football and at his age, (24) he cannot afford to be a benchwarmer.
This week reports emerged that Liverpool are lining up a bid for Ajax’s Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez and that http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ryan-Babel-c31971 transfer could be used in that deal. However, it now seems that Liverpool will look to use the cash from his sale to sign Luis Suarez
or some other high profile striker.
The fee so far is undisclosed but rumours suggest that a fee of around £5.8m with add-ons worth £3m has been agreed upon.
Ryan Babel has played 142 matches for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 in his three-and-a-half-year spell at the club scoring 21 goals during the period. However, most of his appearances have been from the bench and apart from his first season (10 goals in 49 appearances); Babel
has failed to live up to his reputation of the next http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Thierry-Henry-c34918 of the Premier League.
Babel, who won Liverpool Young Player of the Year award after 2007-08 season, always maintained a positive relationship with Liverpool fans and has been pretty active on Twitter with the Reds supporters.
Many claim that Ryan Babel, who has undoubted ability, was never given a proper chance and run of games to prove his worth. However, only time will tell whether it were Liverpool who failed to get the best out of the Dutchman or the player himself was overrated
in the first place.
Tags: