It would be a fair conclusion to reach that Ryan Babel has not exactly lit up the kop and Premier League since his arrival from Ajax. Reports now suggest that as part of the Kenny Dalglish revolution at Liverpool with his former club being his desired destination.

Although Ajax manager Frank de Boer has stated that Babel looks like he’s going to miss out on his dream move back to the Dutch capital due to the combined transfer and wage fee being out of their means. There is still a possibility as the striker has turned down an approach for his services by German outfit Hoffenheim, who had a bid of £5.8 million accepted by Liverpool. If Dalglish and Liverpool are desperate to be rid of the, at best inconsistent, forward then perhaps fees can be lowered and a deal forced through.

It is a mark of how far the player’s stock has dropped that he is now being shown the back door at Anfield at such a low price having arrived at the club for a fee of £11.5 million back in 2007 with a host of competition from other clubs across Europe. There was reported interest at the time from North London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal, but after three years in the red jersey of Liverpool Babel has not developed into a top quality forward as many predicted he would and certainly his earlier career both at Ajax and at national youth team level suggested he could.