Former French international Lassana Diarra is set to sign for Marseille, despite having been heavily linked to East London outfit West Ham, writes L’Équipe.
The move comes following the 30-year old’s tumultuous exit from Lokomotiv Moscow, which saw the Russian side demand a £10million fee for the player despite his contract expiring. Ties to West Ham emerged after FIFA were forced to interfere on Diarra’s behalf, ensuring the defensive midfielder’s status as a free agent.
Diarra came within a hair’s breadth of signing for the Hammers, having gone so far as to train with the club towards the end of the 2014/15 season. It is now believed that a return to France is the player’s preferred move, though Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United were also reported to have shown an interest.
Marseille are currently in the process of rebuilding following a mass exodus from the club. Creative maestro Dimitri Payet was amongst those who had left, joining West Ham for a reported £10.5million. Whilst new manager Slaven Bilic had likely hoped fellow countryman Payet could persuade Diarra to make the move to London, it is possible the player was deterred by the addition of Pedro Obiang and potentially Alex Song, both of whom would offer stiff competition for a starting berth at the club.
