The final week of the transfer window arrives and it’s the same old names being linked with moves to and from Liverpool.
One player who appears to be going nowhere, at least for the time being, is Dutch winger Ryan Babel, despite a £5.8m bid being accepted from German side Hoffenheim last week. Babel is reported to have turned down the move, instead preferring a return to his former club Ajax – which is reliant upon the potential signing of Luis Suarez.
When asked on Monday, manager Kenny Dalglish commented quite simply “He [Babel] is staying here.”
Does that mean that Suarez is therefore not coming here? Director of football strategy Damien Comolli has travelled to Amsterdam today hoping to tie up the deal but some reports suggest the Dutch side are demanding above what Liverpool are prepared to pay for the Uruguayan forward.
This is despite Ajax boss Frank De Boer saying over the weekend “We won’t let Luis [Suarez] go on 31 January at 23.55. It is logical and a deal which I made with Rik van den Boog [general director of Ajax].
“To replace Suarez will be difficult, but we are ready. We have a Plan B, we know what we want if he leaves.”
Surely the logical solution is Babel as part of the deal – therefore providing the replacement for them immediately?
Liverpool are looking to capture Suarez for around £20m, while Ajax are wanting closer to £25m.
