RYAN BABEL has not given up hope of a return to Ajax despite Liverpool agreeing a deal to sell him to Hoffenheim.

Babel flew to Germany yesterday for talks and a medical with the Bundesliga outfit after the Anfield outfit accepted a bid of nearly £6million for the Holland international.

Hoffenheim, who stand ninth in their domestic league, have targeted the 24-year-old to fill a void which has emerged in their attack this winter.

But while poised to complete the transfer, Babel will not put pen to paper while there is still a chance Ajax could gazump the deal.

Babel has expressed he is open to a loan move to his former club until the end of the season and is willing to take a pay cut rather than remain sat on the bench at Anfield.

And he believes Liverpool’s interest in Ajax’s Uruguay international striker Luis Suarez could smooth the path for a transfer back to Amsterdam.

“The transfer of Suarez to Liverpool opens the door for me to go to Ajax,” said Babel. “If Liverpool and Ajax – whether in combination with Luis – can reach an agreement over me I will surely come to the club.

“For the chance to play I am willing to settle for far less pay. For a player of my age it is important to be playing week in week out.”

Hoffenheim, though, are confident they have captured their man, and the club’s millionaire owner Dietmar Hopp said yesterday: “Following the departure of (Demba) Ba and the injury to (Chinedu) Obasi, we were in an emergency situation.

“Babel was one of the prime candidates who our general manager Ernst Tanner was most convinced about.”