The check paying Ryan Babel's £10,000 Football Association fine probably has not even cleared yet. Regardless, the 24-year-old attacker is on the move, with Liverpool having confirmed reporting by Bild. Ryan Babel has been sold to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for €7 million.
Babel has struggled for time in the Liverpool set-up and recently garnered headlines for tweeting an image of official Howard Webb, doctored such that Webb was wearing a Manchester United jersey. Babel did not contest FA charges brought against him, drawing the fine, a payment which may be one of his last contributions to English football.
Babel moved to Liverpool from Ajax in the summer of 2007 for a reported £14 million. In his first season he scored 10 all-competition goals, including five in Champions League, though he has been unable to replicate that performance. His best outlay since has been six goals, and with only one league start (amidst nine appearances) this season, Babel has played a marginal part in Liverpool's season.
According to Hoffenheim backer Dietmar Hopp, Babel will provide cover for the possible loss of Demba Ba, the Senegal striker linked with a move away from TSG in the January window. Hoffenheim currently sit ninth in the German Bundesliga, four points out of a potential European spot.