Hoffenheim owner Dietmar Hopp has set his sights on European qualification this season in order to keep the best players at the club.

Hoffenheim took the Bundesliga by storm last season, leading the way at the midway stage before a late collapse saw them miss out on continental competition.

They have made a steadier start to the current campaign and currently lie fifth, a position which would earn them a place in the Europa League next season.

And that is the aim Hopp has set his side, and he believes it is perfectly realistic.

"We cannot compete with Bayern (Munich) - they will win the league, but we are playing for a place in Europe," he said.

Hoffenheim steadfastly denied forward Demba Ba a transfer to Stuttgart last summer when the player was adamant he wanted to join a club who were playing in the Champions League.

And Hopp would like to avoid a similar saga next summer by being able to offer his players a place on a European stage, where he believes they belong having seen the progress they have made under Ralf Rangnick this year.

"Fifth place would be fantastic and it would be easier for us to keep hold of our good players," he told the Rhein-Neckar Zeitung newspaper.

"We now have more strength in depth and can cope with the losses of players more easily.

"And our defence is more stable through goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand and Josip Simunic."