Newcastle United are set to offer £5 million for Arsenal midfielder Lassana Diarra.

Toon chairman Chris Mort hopes to persuade the French international to sign a four-year contract worth £35,000-a-week, says The Sun.

Midfielder Diarra, 22, is still not sure whether to move to St James' Park and wants to see if Tottenham will match the offer.

But Arsenal will not lower their price for a player who cost them £2.5m from Chelsea last August.