REDS HUNT £10M FOR BABEL

Liverpool are closing in on rising Dutch star Ryan Babel. The Reds are in a strong position to land the 20-year-old having started negotiations with Ajax for the £10m-rated starlet. Manager Rafa Benitez turned his attention to the exciting frontman having lost out to Chelsea in the battle for Lyon’s Florent Malouda.

Now Babel, a versatile attacker who can play as a striker, left or right winger, has jumped to the top of the Reds’ wanted list. Babel was a star in the recent European Under-21 Championships when he was named man-of-the-match in Holland’s 4-1 win over Serbia. He’s attracted interest from a host of clubs, with Arsenal initially considered his most likely destination.

But Liverpool have acted swiftly in the transfer market in recent weeks, with the working relationship between Benitez and chief executive Rick Parry yielding positive results. Liverpool are confident Babel’s signature will be secured imminently as the youngster has stated his desire to move to Anfield. Following last week’s purchase of Fernando Torres, Benitez will be delighted to see another key stage of his summer transfer rebuilding plans taking shape. He also remains keen to sign West Ham’s Yossi Benayoun, although the Hammers still want as much as £6m for the Israeli international, which may yet prove a stumbling block.

Craig Bellamy will move to Upton Park for £8m once he reaches agreement on the pay-off he’s expecting from Liverpool. Djibril Cisse has joined Marseilles in a deal worth £8m, while Mark Gonzalez is joining Real Betis for £3.5m. With Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama-Pongolle also moving on for a combined value of around £5m, Liverpool have been equally impressive raising the funds to finance Benitez’s summer spending spree