Lassana Diarra has made it clear he wants to join West Ham in the summer once his contract dispute is sorted out.

The former Real Madrid man held talks with the Hammers during the January transfer window but boss Sam Allardyce failed to recruit the midfielder after football’s governing body FIFA stepped in to block the move.

Diarra is locked in a contract wrangle with former club Lokomotiv Moscow after being sacked by the Russian club and he is currently unable to sign for another side.

The former Chelsea and Portsmouth man is keen to return to the Premier League, however, and it is hoped some sort of resolution will be found to the situation over the close season so he can then resume his career.

Allardyce is likely to revive his interest in the 29-year-old if he gets the green light to play again and Diarra admits he remains keen to eventually make the move to Upton Park.

He said: “As long as the conflict is not sorted, FIFA forbid me to play so it’s so frustrating. What happened was that I got fired from a club and now I cannot play football. It’s a crazy thing because I’m free.

“Hopefully it can all be resolved and the deal with West Ham can be completed.”

West Ham will have to make do without the experienced Diarra for now as they aim to bounce back from the disappointing 4-0 FA Cup defeat at West Brom on Saturday when they go to London rivals Tottenham on Sunday in the Premier League (Spurs 1.76, draw 3.56, West Ham 3.56 – Match Betting).