Diarra to Real

Portsmouth have confirmed that they have accepted an 'exceptional' offer from Real Madrid for France midfielder Lassana Diarra.

The 23-year-old is poised to become the first signing made by former Tottenham Hotspur boss Juande Ramos, who took charge at the Bernabeu following the recent sacking of Bernd Schuster.

A Pompey spokesman told the club's official website: "We have always said that we would only allow our players to leave if we received an exceptional bid.

"We could not stand in the way of a move such as this for Lassana.

"It shows how far the club has come under the ownership of Alexandre Gaydamak when Real Madrid come in for one of our players.

"Should the deal be completed, the club has already identified possible replacements."

A fee of close to £20million is being reported for Diarra, who has also played in England with Arsenal and Chelsea.

Diarra has scored three goals in 31 appearances for Pompey since moving to Fratton Park in January, helping the club win the FA Cup final at Wembley in May.

He was also a member of France's squad at the European Championship finals last summer, but failed to make an appearance as Les Bleus crashed out at the group stages.

Real are keen to bring in several players to cover for a number of injuries among their squad, with their approach having seemingly ended talk of Diarra being a target for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

(Football.co.uk forum)