Newcastle have made a late bid to sign Lyon midfielder Alou Diarra after the Frenchman admitted he was not keen on a move to Portsmouth.

Pompey agreed a £5.5million fee with the Ligue 1 side last week but Diarra urged Newcastle to make a bid after hearing of Sam Allardyce's interest.

The Magpies boss has been a long term admirer of the 25-year-old and considered making an offer shortly after taking charge on Tyneside.

Diarra, a former Liverpool player, made just 14 starts for Lyon last season following his move from Lens and is keen for regular first-team football at this stage of his career.