Thursday, 16th June, 2011
Real Madrid have told midfield enforcer Lassana Diarra that he is free to leave the club – but only if he can find a side willing to pay €20M for his services.
Diarra has been attracting interest from a whole host of clubs, including English trio Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Serie A sides Inter and Juventus. Turkish giants Fenerbahce are however still the only club to have made a concrete offer, with a bid of some €13M being dismissed out of hand by Los Blancos.
Now though according to Madrid-based daily Marca, Diarra will be allowed to leave the Spanish capital, but only if his representatives can find a club willing to pay €20M.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is thought to have informed his board that he does not wish to lose Diarra’s services, however the player himself was unhappy about a lack of minutes on the pitch last season and does not see this changing in the 2011/12 campaign.
While Diarra did feature a number of times for Real Madrid last season, the Frenchman is concerned about his place in the pecking order and clearly feels a second-choice option. Indeed, the former Chelsea player informed the Bernabeu side as much before he left on holiday for the summer.
On Mourinho’s part, while the Portuguese is not keen on losing Diarra, it is acceptable for the right price. Diarra’s sale would help to finance Mourinho’s swoop for Benfica full back Fabio Coentrao, a player the former Inter boss believes has much developing left to do, as both a defender and midfielder.
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