Madrid powerhouse to be sold

Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal have been alerted to news that one of the world's best defensive midfielders has been made available in January by Real Madrid.

That player is Real Madrid's Mali international Mahamadou Diarra. The Gunners missed out on their first choice Felipe Melo last summer while Spurs bids for Moussa Sissoko and Sulley Muntari still seem doomed to failure.
 
The 6 ft man mountain missed the second half of last season due to a serious injury that has kept him out of action for 7 months. He has recently returned to fitness but is to be sold after the huge spending spree Real Madrid have embarked on. Diarra was de-registered from the Real Madrid first team last season and his number six was given to January signing namesake Lassana Diarra. Real also have Fernando Gago and Lassana Diarra to play the defensive midfield role suggesting they are willing to offload the Malian this summer.
 
Diarra would be the perfect acquisition for Arsenal to perform the anchorman role next to Cesc Fabregas as he would give the midfield a strong physical presence they have lacked since the departure of Gilberto Silva. The Malian is of a similar stature and size to Barcelona's Yaya Toure who has been a long-term Gunners target. 
 
Tottenham are also looking to add power to their midfield and the signing of Diarra would be a huge statement of intent. Juventus were leading the chase for the 28-year-old in the summer but instead moved for former Gunners target Melo leaving the way open for English clubs to make an approach. There remains speculation over Javier Mascherano's future at Anfield but even if the Argentine were to stay, Diarra would surely be a welcome addition to Liverpool with his experience and strength.
 
Diarra established his football reputation in Greece when he played for OFI Crete in the last 1990's. However, after just 21 league appearances he moved to Holland and played for Vitesse. He spent three seasons with the Dutch club making 69 league appearances while scoring 9 goals. In this time he was sent off a total of 5 times earning a reputation for poor temperament.
 
In the summer of 2002 Diarra moved to Lyon where he established his reputation as one of the finest defensive midfielders in world football. In four seasons in France, he won a total of four league championships and four Trophee Des Champions (the equivalent of the Community Shield). He made 121 league appearances and was part of the Lyon team that reached the Champions League quarter-finals in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
 
The Mali international moved to Real Madrid in August 2006 for 26 million euros. He played a key role in the club's title successes in 2007 and 2008 but was heavily criticised in his first season for picking up 12 bookings in 33 league appearances.
 
He was a mainstay of Fabio Capello's side but had a disastrous 2008/09 season following a serious knee injury in Mali's World Cup qualifier v Chad last October. Diarra returned to Madrid making a further 5 appearances before being forced to have an operation to rectify the condition of his knee. However, the defensive anchorman has now fully returned to fitness making 5 appearances for Real Madrid (3 starts) and one appearance for Mali this season. Diarra has won over 50 caps for Mali and captained the side before his injury.
 
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