Aldo insists: LFC must sign 'tremendous' £6m midfield 'brute'. Transfer swap...?

Liverpool legend John Aldridge has urged the Reds to think seriously about signing West Ham central midfielder Mohamed Diame this summer.

In his column for the Liverpool Echo today, Aldo heaped praise on Diame - who he described as a 'brute of a midfielder' - and made it clear that he'd love to see the Senegalese international in a Liverpool shirt. He enthused:

"I would urge Liverpool to keep tabs on Mohamed Diame.

"He is a tremendous player and so strong and powerful in that central role, and he is exactly what the Reds need in there.

"I’m sure many of you have seen the way he muscled his way into the box to create a great chance for himself. Diame is certainly one for future reference".

When quizzed about Diame's future during his post-match press conference on Sunday, Hammers boss Sam Allardyce told reporters:

"His future will bubble up in the summer again so it`s up to us to give Mo our best offer. If we can`t keep him then we`ll use the money to try and get a better player than him. There is still a buy-out clause, but no-one triggered that in January."

Prior to having his contract terminated, Kenny Dalgish had pinpointed Diame as a possible free transfer signing in the summer. Liverpool's interest ended when Dalglish left, and the 24-year admits he was 'sad' to miss out on the move. He told the Liverpool Echo:

“I met with Kenny Dalglish and we talked about next season [2012-2013], but God decided to finish this situation. It is true I was very sad in my head as I was thinking to go there”

Allardyce recently revealed that he sought Dalglish's advice prior to signing Diame. He recalled:

"I spoke to Kenny about signing Mo. For me, it just made me feel so much better to have Kenny saying ‘Yeah, we were going to take him. It gives you that bit more ­confidence. To have somebody of Kenny’s ­experience backing up your ­judgment is a big help".

In February, West Ham co-chairman David Gold confirmed that £6m-rated Diame has a buy-out clause in his contract, though he neglected to say how much it is. He tweeted:

"Diame does have a release clause in his three year contract. He joined us from Wigan on a free transfer"

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp is a fan of Diame, and after watching him dominate Chelsea's midfield during West Ham's 3-1 victory in Decemver, he wrote:

"I like the look of Mohamed Diame at West Ham; he’s a cross between Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure. He overpowered Chelsea’s midfield on Saturday. Can West Ham keep him? He came on a free and has an agreed get-out clause. There will be lots of interest now".

West Ham legend Trevor Brooking is also a big fan of the Senegalese international, and he praised the midfielder to the hilt in an interview on Monday. He raved:

“The lad has been a revelation for us. I think Sam thought he was a bit tired because he’s had some hard games recently, but Diame has been fantastic. He’s been the player of the season really.”

Diame has been regularly linked with a move to Anfield, and with Andy Carroll on a season-long loan at Upton Park, there is clearly scope for the Reds to come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement with West Ham.

Straight swap deal? I'd take it, despite the massive financial loss, though I suspect FSG wouldn't see it the same way (!) If not a straight swap, how about a part-exchange deal?



Jaimie Kanwar

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