Ajax re-sign Babel

Ryan Babel: Former Liverpool winger signs for his first club Ajax

Ajax have swooped to re-sign Ryan Babel in a surprise one-year deal from Hoffenheim.

The 25-year-old started his career with Ajax and his sparkling displays for the Dutch giants convinced Liverpool to sign him for £11.5million.

Babel failed to live up to billing on Merseyside and joined Hoffenheim last January, but has struggled to consistently produce his best.

He now has the chance to rebuild his career in his homeland and will play under former Ajax legend Frank De Boer.

Contribution

His agent Winnie Haatrecht told Dutch paper De Telegraaf: "Ryan knows the club, the coach and hopes to have a big contribution in the further development of the team.

"Frank (De Boer) knows Ryan from his time at the Dutch national team and knows he can use him as left winger or as striker. An advantage is that Ryan was not injured last season."

De Boer said: "There were many clubs interested in Ryan, however, Ajax was directly the number one choice."