Delpierre leaves Stuttgart on free transfer

Stuttgart defender Matthieu Delpierre will leave the club at the end of the season to join fellow Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim.

The French defender, whose contract runs out at the end of the season, will make a free transfer to the Rhein Neckar Arena, where he will sign a two-year deal.

The move reunites Delpierre with coach Markus Babbel, who gave Delpierre the captaincy at Stuttgart in his one season at the helm in 2008-09.

Delpierre joined Stuttgart from Lille in 2004 and has gone on to make over 150 league appearances for the German top-flight club.

The 30-year-old has not featured this season due to a persistent hamstring problem.