Diarra delighted after move to Madrid

Mali midfielder Mahamadou has said he is delighted that French champions Lyon have given into his wishes and agreed to sell him to Real Madrid. "I'm the happiest person in the world," the 25-year-old said yesterday. "It was a dream for me to play for...

Mali midfielder Mahamadou has said he is delighted that French champions Lyon have given into his wishes and agreed to sell him to Real Madrid.

"I'm the happiest person in the world," the 25-year-old said yesterday. "It was a dream for me to play for Real Madrid."

Under pressure from the player, who had threatened to go on strike, Lyon caved in and agreed to sell the holding midfielder to the Primera Liga side late on Friday.

Neither side has revealed the fee but Spanish media say that Real have agreed to pay Lyon 26 million euros, making Diarra the most expensive close-season signing in the Primera Liga.

Lyon were originally reported to have asked for over 35 million euros but Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon said they had settled for much less.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.