Diarra passes Madrid medical

(GETTY IMAGES)

Lassana Diarra has passed his medical with Real Madrid and will be presented as the Primera Liga champions' latest signing this afternoon.

Diarra joins Madrid from Portsmouth for a fee reportedly in the region of £20m, and will pen a four-and-a-half-year contract that ties him to the Spanish giants until 2013.

The 23-year-old France international will be unveiled to the media at the club's Bernabeu stadium at a presentation which is scheduled to start at 1300 local time (1200GMT).

After his medical this morning, Carlos Diez, the head of medical services at Real Madrid, said: "The player's health is exceptional and he is perfectly fit for sporting activity.

"Moreover, he has a lot of desire and if it wasn't for the Christmas holidays he would already be at work."

Diarra follows in the footsteps of Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Dani Parejo as recent additions to a Madrid squad that has been decimated by injuries in recent months.

Huntelaar was signed from Dutch giants Ajax while Parejo was recalled from his loan spell at QPR in England.

Those players will help cover the losses of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra and Ruben de la Red, who have all been ruled out for the rest of the season.