Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez rules out sale of Babel

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has ruled out selling Dutch forward Ryan Babel in the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old Babel joined from Ajax in 2007 for an £11.5m fee, but has failed to start regularly and has been linked with a move away from Anfield.

"He (Babel) will have a chance to play," said Benitez after his side's 1-1 FA Cup draw with Reading.

"He has to work hard. He's our player and he will have his chances. At this moment we are not trying to sell him."

The Netherlands striker, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, has often found himself playing out of position on the left flank and has scored just nine league goals since arriving at Anfield.

In December 2008 Babel tried and failed to engineer a loan move to former club Ajax.

Benitez refused to be drawn on the possibility of Dutch pair Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rafael van der Vaart arriving from Real Madrid, only saying it would be "very, very difficult" to sign players this month.

Newspaper reports have linked the Dutch pair with loan moves to Liverpool, while speculation has also focused on the possible departures from Anfield of Andriy Voronin, Andrea Dossena and Philipp Degen.

Voronin has been on holiday in Miami over the Christmas period, having been frozen out by Benitez since a disappointing appearance in the Champions League draw in Lyon.

Atletico Madrid's winger Maxi Rodriguez and Greece international full-back Vasil Torosidis have also been linked with moves to Liverpool.

Liverpool are short of cover at right-back with Glen Johnson out for up to two months with a knee injury, while 19-year-old Martin Kelly is also currently sidelined.

Asked if he was considering signing a full-back, Benitez said: "Yes, we are working hard (on transfers) and trying to do our jobs, and we'll see if we can do something.

He added: "We are looking in the market but it's not easy to find good players available because the majority of them are playing in top sides. But we are trying to find solutions if we can.

"We have some good players who people are interested in because they're not playing too many games for us, but we have to manage carefully."

Liverpool have turned down an £8m offer for Ryan Babel from Birmingham City, BBC Sport understands.

The Reds bought the 23-year-old Dutch winger from Ajax for £11.5m in July 2007 but he has struggled to hold down a regular first-team spot.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has publicly insisted Babel is not for sale and turned down Ajax's attempt to take him on loan in January 2009.

Babel has made three starts in 10 Premier League appearances this season.

A lack of first-team action could harm his chances of making Dutch manager Bert van Marwijk's 2010 World Cup squad.

The pacy 6ft winger has scored five times in 37 international matches for the Netherlands.

His signing would be a coup for Birmingham as boss Alex McLeish looks to dip into money made available following the takeover of the Midlands outfit by Carson Yeung in October 2009.

It has been reported McLeish will have up to £40m to spend, although this figure would include wages and not purely transfer money.

McLeish has guided his side to an impressive first half of the season and they are currently eighth in the Premier League table, just one point behind Liverpool.

If Benitez was persuaded to sell, he would want to recoup as much of the original transfer fee as possible.

Babel, who is believed to be a target for other English clubs, would fit into Birmingham's set-up as a left-sided frontman or midfielder.

However, it is understood he remains keen to play for a club which is in the Champions League after Liverpool made an early exit from this season's competition.

In a question and answer session with fans on his official website a week ago, Babel indicated he wanted more support from the Anfield heirarchy.

"I have faith and confidence in myself but others need to have those as well to give me a chance," said the player.

While McLeish knows he has money to spend, it is thought that three new recruits might satisfy his needs in the January transfer window, with the bulk of spending in the summer.

Babel made his international debut for the Netherlands in March 2005 at the age of 18 and became his country's fourth youngest scorer when he netted after coming on as substitute in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Romania.

He joined Liverpool from Ajax on a five-year contract in July 2007, and scored in last season's Champions League quarter-final win over Arsenal and the semi-final defeat by Chelsea.

Babel missed Euro 2008 with an ankle injury.