Mahamadou Diarra appears to have performed a u-turn on Newcastle United Football Club.

The Magpies have been heavily linked with the Mali international this summer, as the player continues to struggle to nail down a regular place in the Real Madrid side.

Yet Diarra himself has gone on record saying that the arrival of Jose Mourinho as coach has given him fresh hope at the Bernabeu, where he intends to stay for the season.

However, it now appears as though the former Lyon star, 29, would consider a move to St James Park, if it becomes clear he is set for a bench role in the Spanish capital.

"My bosses know more about my future than I do. I am doing the pre-season with Madrid because they are my team and I have a contract," he said.

"But in football, everything happens very fast - maybe I will go. Last season I played only seven games, nothing like that has ever happened in my life before."

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