Madrid close on Diarra deal

[Badboy 1,526]

Real Madrid are set to seal a deal for Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra, according to Spanish sources.

Skysports.com revealed on Monday that the Spanish champions were ready to move for Diarra - who was being lined up by Premier League outfits Manchester City and Tottenham.

But now Juande Ramos looks set to step in and land the 23-year-old former Arsenal and Chelsea star.

"The big players are already in the Champions League and cannot be signed," Ramos is quoted as saying.

"If the players do not have the quality, then we will miss them - the players have to be worth it."

And on Diarra he added: "He is a player I know well, and I would like a player like Diarra here."

It is claimed that Real will pay £9million for Diarra and they hope to announce his signing in the next 48 hours.

Diarra is being brought in after his namesake, but not relation, Mahamadou Diarra was ruled out for the rest of the season.

[Fulham Broadway 16,393]

He'll probably do well there -until he realises that they're paying him less than everyone else, like they did with Makalele

[Kez 2,727]

Good luck to him!

He can do well there

[the wes 7,212]

MADRID - Real Madrid have agreed to sign France midfielder Lassana Diarra from Premier League Portsmouth, the Spanish champions said on Sunday.

Diarra, 23, who will undergo a medical on Monday, has agreed a contract until 2013, the Primera Liga side said on their website.

No details of the deal were given but British media have reported Real were prepared to pay about 20 million pounds ($31.14 million).

He is their second signing for the January transfer window after Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar was landed from Ajax, although youth team player Dani Parejo has also been recalled from his loan spell with Queens Park Rangers to join the first team.

http://fourfourtwo.com/news/spain/22760/default.aspx

[True_Blue 469]

20mill?

He will stay like until January 2009 or at least a year...such an ungrateful player and rushes to move into big clubs and leaves when he doesn't get a chance.He wants to be in the starting 11 all the time no way to make himself a good player by doing that and changing clubs like underwear.

[chrismada9 1,948]

WHAT???!!!!

£20 million for Lassana Diarra??

You're having a bloody laugh!

This makes me think we should have kept him all those years back!

[.Cee 50]

I think he learnt a lot from Anelka, moving from club to club like crazy....

[Steve 10,227]

deal done good luck to him

[BlueLion. 21,491]

And to think we sold him to Arsenal for pocket money prices!

[Joe Cool 388]

He is an ungrateful dickhead and I don't give a toss about what happens with that useless piece of shit

[terry26 6]

i actually think it was really unprofessional of them to have LASS written on the back on his shirt when revealing the signing

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Well Real has Mama Diarra as well, and apparently they have sold a lot of shirts with his name on. To counter people having to buy M. Diarra shirts instead, Real have allowed Mini Makelele to have Lass on the back of his shirt. Fair enough.

[.Cee 50]

And to think we sold him to Arsenal for pocket money prices!

I don't think we had much choice back when we did. He wanted to go. :thumbsdown:

[BlueLion. 21,491]

True. From the fact he's been at another 3 clubs in 18 months, it shows we were lucky to get two years from him.