Man City and Real Madrid seem locked in battle over Portsmouth's midfield general Lassana Diarra. Diarra has been in fine form for Portsmouth since his brief spells at Arsenal and Chelsea, where he struggled to get into either club's starting XI. However, he has been proving his worth since arriving at Fratton Park, so much so that both the richest club in the world and the most successful club in Europe are after his signature.

Real Madrid believe that they are close to a deal for the 23-year-old, who inserted a clause into his contract upon joining Portsmouth last January that would enable him to move on "if a really big club wants me".
Man City believe that Diarra can be theirs for £18m but the player is understood to favour Real, although the fact that the Spaniards' offer is roughly half that of City's is problematic to Portsmouth.

Will this transfer saga be sign of things to come in the shifting of power in European football? What constitutes a "really big club" and do Man City fit the bill? If he couldn't get into Arsenal or Chelsea's first XI, is he really worth £18m?