http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/new...lude-option-on-Gareth-Bale-article780688.html Tottenham are holding talks with Real Madrid over the Spanish giants' midfielder Lassana Diarra. The North Londoners refused the opportunity to snap up free agent Joey Barton earlier this week because they are confident of being able to tie up a deal for 26-year-old Diarra. The player has made it clear he would be up for a move to White Hart Lane and Spurs are confident they can complete his signing before the window closes at the end of the month. Tottenham have dismissed, however, talk that any deal would include giving Real an option on Welsh flyer Gareth Bale. Diarra has made it clear he wants out of the Bernabeu after failing to see regular first-team football last season. He, along with fellow midfielders Pedro Leon and Sergio Canales were left out of Jose Mourinho's 25-man squad for Real's pre-season tour of America. But Diarra believes he can resurrect his career again under Harry Redknapp, who has been after him for some time. It was Redknapp who gave him regular first team football at Portsmouth three years ago after Diarra was left frustrated at Chelsea and Arsenal. Diarra responded by inspiring Redknapp's south coast side to a shock FA Cup triumph. He was sold to Madrid for £20million in January 2009, but has failed to settle and is now set for a return to England.
I can't remember a transfer window since Harry Redknapp arrived that we haven't been linked with Lassana Diarra, so i'm not taking this too seriously.
What's the issue with giving Real first option. Surely that only comes into force if he is definitely leaving and in that case we'd want him to go abroad? Unless Bale said no I suppose?
Lazio paid something like £5m for the first option on Michael Owen back in '98. That was a fine use of the clubs' resources...
£5m so, if Liverpool were to sell him, they'd be the preferred bidder. Obviously somebody forgot about this when he signed for Real Madrid - so the real question is whether Lazio go their money back.
What would making them the preferred bidder involve? If I'm the preferred bidder and someone else bids more than I do, then... what?
You tut loudly at them for queue-barging? As we all know, there's only one way to be a preferred bidder - if the tabloids fail to do your dirty work for you, waving vast amounts of ill-gotten Russian/Qatari money under their nose.
