The German coach revealed to Sky Sports that the Wanderers had been priced out of a move for the pacy winger but refused to completely rule out Ribery coming to the A-League.
“The current situation is such that we cannot afford it, I have had a long conversation with our chairman and unfortunately he is not ready to go deep into his pocket,” Babbel said.
“But the door is still open, and if he wants to live a good life with his family, he will have absolute peace and serenity, and Australia would be the perfect place to live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world a fantastic lifestyle”
“From a footballer’s point of view, of course, he would be the rock star here, so some of my players would probably be frozen in awe, but the overall Ribéry package is not affordable for us at the moment.”
Last month, Ribery gave Wanderers fans hope of a spectacular signing coup when he responded to rumours of a potential Australia move after his Bayern Munich exit.
“But why should not I move to colleague Babbel?” he said.
“I do not know. There are many options. I’m not sure yet where I’m going.”
