Ajax have confirmed that Liverpool have made more than one bid for Holland international Ryan Babel to Anfield and now seem resigned to losing the player. Liverpool’s initial bid is believed to have been for a potential £10m, but now they are believed to have upped it to one worth up to £13.5m – and Ajax are listening.
The Dutch side’s technical director Martin van Geel told the media last night: “Liverpool are very serious about signing Babel and have made an offer a lot higher than before. Because they want him so much, I think we will lose him.”
The overall bid is thought to be based on how successful the twenty-year-old becomes during his time with Liverpool. His agent had been the first person to confirm Liverpool had contacted Ajax about the under-21 international, saying to Sportweek magazine: “I can say nothing about transfer fees, but I can confirm that Liverpool have made a bid for Ryan. Ryan himself hasn’t spoken with that club. Only when Ajax say that the clubs have an agreement can we speak, and phase two starts. But it’s not that far yet. We first have to wait to see if the clubs reach a deal or not.”
Babel is comfortable playing on either wing or up front, Rafa being most likely to use him as a winger. However Rafa likes players who offer him ‘possibilities’ and Babel is likely to make some appearances away from the wings.