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In 48 hours the summer transfer market will close, and Real Madrid will (hopefully) have unloaded some players who haven't been able to crack into José Mourinho's vision for the team. Lassana Diarra, the talented yet slightly egoistical center defensive midfielder, who earlier declared that if he wasn't starting, then he didn't want to stay in Madrid, has had rumors swirling around him all summer--he has been linked to Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Juventus, and AS Roma, just to name a few.
But right now it looks like he might just stay put: today he rejected Spurs' most recent advance, and he seems to have, if not both feet firmly planted inside the Bernabéu, then at least 90 percent of his shoes. I don't really understand this guy--Madrid can't guarantee him playing time, haven't been using him at all this off-season, and have a huge logjam at CDM. So why not go to Spurs?
In less odd news, Pedro León is about to be loaned back to Getafe, the club that Madrid re-bought him from a couple years ago. More on this and other Real Madrid-related transfer deadline news after the jump.
It's true. Getafe officials Ángel Torres and Toni Muñoz are actually inside the Bernabéu right now discussing the terms of the loan deal. Not only did we see them go inside...we also know exactly what they're talking about somehow. In all seriousness, I don't think they're talking about Fernando Gago, if that makes anyone happy. [UPDATE, 12:20 PM EST: According to various sources, the clubs have already agreed on the terms of the loan deal and are waiting for León to accept or reject the move. We could be minutes away from something official.]Speaking of Gago...well, I haven't heard anything at all. Since his sale back to Argentinian side Boca Juniors fell through a couple of weeks ago, there has been almost no movement on that front. But fear not! We'll keep you updated on his status (and all the other Real Madrid players on the chopping block) as the day progresses.