Hodgson covets two time champion

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has reportedly expressed an interest in Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra as he plans for life after Javier Mascherano.

The Argentine is yet to be granted his leave from Anfield, with Barcelona and Liverpool locked in negotiations over his proposed move to the Nou Camp, but according to AS, a deal is imminent and Hodgson is already looking at potential alternatives to compete with Lucas Leiva and Christian Poulsen.

AS suggest the Liverpool boss has made tentative enquiries for Diarra, who has just a year left to run on his current Bernabeu deal. The Mali international has been informed by the La Liga giants that he is no longer required by Jose Mourinho following the arrival of fellow defensive midfielder Sami Khedira and as a result his agent has been exploring potential suitors in order to engineer a cut-price deal.

The 28-year-old has also been linked with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, however neither have followed up their purported interest and should Roy Hodgson identify the former Lyon star as Mascherano's replacement, Liverpool will remain unopposed in their pursuit of him.

Diarra has played a peripheral role at the club since sustaining a knee injury back in October 2008 while on international duty with Mali, but was an instrumental figure in Real Madrid's back-to-back La Liga titles in the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.