Tottenham move for Lassana Diarra

Tottenham's move for Real Madrid star Lassana Diarra is hanging in the balance as they struggle to meet both the transfer fee and the player's wage demands.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has been in talks with Real Madrid chiefs over a move for the central midfielder but is reluctant to meet the Spanish giants' £16 million (€18m) asking price.

The Londoners would prefer to land Diarra for around £12m (€13.5m) but even then the 26-year-old's £120,000-a-week (€135,000) wages are well in excess of the club's wage structure. There are also some concerns about the former Arsenal and Chelsea man's medical history after he missed the 2010 World Cup with a genetic blood disorder.

Tottenham will continue in their attempts to strike a deal for the France international but the move is further complicated by ongoing negotiations with Stoke over the transfer of Wilson Palacios.

The Honduran midfielder is a target for Stoke boss Tony Pulis but Spurs want more than the £8m (€9m) fee offered by the Potters for a player who cost £12m (€13.5m) when he signed from Wigan in January 2009.

There are also doubts over whether Stoke would be able to agree personal terms with Palacios, 27, who has also attracted interest this summer from Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain. There is a feeling within White Hart Lane that the deal could drag on into the last week of the summer transfer window.

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp signed Diarra from Arsenal for £5.5m (€7m) when he was manager of Portsmouth and believes the midfielder would improve his squad as a like-for-like replacement for Palacios.

Diarra has grown frustrated at a lack of first-team opportunities at the Bernabeu and has indicated that he would be keen on a return to the Premier League, having also been linked with a move to champions Manchester United. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has made it clear that Diarra does not feature in his plans and is surplus to requirements.

The former Chelsea man is a long-term target for Redknapp and Spurs have seriously explored the possibility of signing him a number of times in the last two years. The Spurs boss does not see Diarra as a replacement for wantaway Luka Modric, but as competition for Sandro and Tom Huddlestone.

The switch is once again in severe doubt as Spurs struggle both to find the cash and to create a room in their bloated squad, which Levy is desperate to trim by selling the likes of Robbie Keane, David Bentley, Alan Hutton and Giovani dos Santos.