Ryan Babel interested in reunion with former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard

Ryan Babel appears open to a possible reunion with Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard in Major League Soccer, claiming it would be "very special" to link up with his former teammate once again.

Winger Babel, 28, made over 100 appearances in all competitions during a four-year stint at Anfield but left in January 2011 for a fee of £6m (€8.3m) having signed a two-year deal with Bundesliga club Hoffenheim.

A second stint with Ajax followed and the former Dutch international could be on the move once again this summer having spent the past two seasons with Kasimpasa in Turkey's Super Lig.

Garry Monk's Swansea City were credited by the Daily Mail with an interest in Babel earlier in June after a proposed move to Besiktas supposedly fell through but it seems the player has designs on a switch to the US in future with Gerrard's Los Angeles Galaxy a particularly appealing destination.

Speaking to Goal, he said: "America has always been a special place for me, since my youth. If it fits in with my career, it will be a challenge for me to play for a MLS team. If that would be Steven Gerrard's club, that would be very special."

Another spell back in his native Netherlands is also a distinct possibility for Babel, who made headlines in May due to a tweet that poked fun at Rafael Benitez's appointment as Carlo Ancelotti's successor at Real Madrid, although he revealed that an imminent return to the Premier League remains unlikely.

"A return to the Eredivisie would be nice, but only if it's Ajax," he added. "I don't want to play for another team.

"England is of course a great country to play in, and I'll always be open for a return. But it has to be a club I feel good about. The reality is that England won't happen at this moment."

Having spent almost two decades at Liverpool, former captain Gerrard opted to leave Merseyside this summer citing his passion to embark upon a new challenge and a desire to win further silverware before the end of his career.

The ex-England captain is expected to make his debut for the Galaxy in the International Champions Cup clash against Club America on 11 July, with manager Bruce Arena expecting his newest recruit to be "ready to go" once he has got back up to speed after a short break that followed the end of a particularly trying English season.