Newcastle have made a late bid to sign Lyon midfielder
Alou Diarra after the Frenchman admitted he was not keen on a move
to Portsmouth.
Pompey agreed a £5.5million fee with the Ligue 1 side last week but
Diarra urged Newcastle to make a bid after hearing of Sam
Allardyce's interest.
The Magpies boss has been a long term admirer of the 25-year-old
and considered making an offer shortly after taking charge on
Tyneside.
Allardyce's interest waned as Joey Barton's transfer dragged on,
but he has now offered Diarra terms, according to reports in
France.
They are thought to be better than those offered by Pompey and
Newcastle must now meet Lyon's asking price to finalise the
deal.
Diarra, a former Liverpool player, made just 14 starts for Lyon
last season following his move from Lens and is keen for regular
first-team football at this stage of his career.
