After reading rumours that Real Madrid were finally about to make their move for Diarra, I started thinking back to April and May of this year when Diarra was still considered a transfer target for Manchester United.
The fact that Manchester United did not sign Diarra in June is as much a testament to Real Madrid’s charm and allure for most European players (not to mention their financial power) as it is a testament to United’s inability to test Lyon’s resolve to keep Diarra.
Back in June before the World Cup started rumours were that Diarra was being courted by Milan, Madrid and Man Utd, and that Diarra was waiting for a Real Madrid offer before deciding on his future. That says it all about United’s chances of getting the player right there. I’m not sure that Madrid want Diarra as badly as they want Kaka (plus they’ve signed Emerson in that position), so any rumoured interest has to be taken with a grain of salt.
Milan surely don’t need him unless they are planning to offload Gattuso – a possibility that would be appealing to United fans but is still a fantasy. There is an even lesser chance of United moving for the player, especially since they have Carrick and Scholes in the center of the park and neither will be benched.
Madrid can certainly afford him, but do they really need him? Will Diarra become Baptista – another strong player who failed to shine in Madrid? Hopefully Capello will keep Baptista, bring in Diarra and start those two in midfield – why not bulldoze your opposition if you can.
I’d love to see Diarra play for Manchester United but I don’t see it happening. We don’t have that much money (to tempt Lyon to sell), and Diarra wants to go to Madrid.
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