The Telegraph:
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's hopes of signing Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra have been dented by the news that the Mali international plans to stay in France for another season.
Ferguson, who has made signing a midfielder his priority for the summer transfer window, recently watched Diarra in Champions League action against AC Milan.
However, reports that Diarra had been on a tour of Old Trafford and the club's Carrington training ground were denied by his agent, Frederic Guerra, who insisted that the 24-year-old had expressed his determination to stay at Lyon for at least another year.
Should Ferguson be frustrated in his efforts to sign Diarra, he is likely to turn his attention to Villareal playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme (Ed. Fergie seems to be looking for another penalty taker!) and Valencia's Aldo Duscher, while West Ham's Nigel Reo-Coker and Kevin Nolan, of Bolton, have also been linked with a move to Old Trafford.