Hoffenheim priced out of move for Real Madrid's Joselu

Hoffenheim manager Markus Babbel has slammed Real Madrid over their "inexplicable" asking price for striker Joselu.

The 22-year-old has caught the eye of Babbel following his displays for Madrid's B side, who play in the third tier of Spanish football.

However, the former Liverpool defender is not prepared to fork out the £6m-£8m fee that the Spanish champions want for the player.

"A transfer fee of €8-€10m for a third-tier player is absolutely inexplicable. This is too much. The deal is off," Babbel told Deutsche Presseagentur.

"We are still interested, of course. But we are initially bailing out of this. Should Real Madrid be happy with less than that [fee], they are welcome to give us a phone call."

Joselu has scored 40 goals in 72 games for the Madrid B side, as well as two goals in two games for the first team.