According to a report on French radio Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh will make a decision on his future in the coming weeks before announcing to the press whether he has signed a pre-contract agreement with a new club. The highly-rated Bordeaux attacker has been heavily linked with both Arsenal and Liverpool in recent months although Italian giants Juventus are also thought to be interested.
Arsene Wenger’s Gunners are thought to be leading the chase for the 25-year-old and have accepted that any move will not take place until the summer when Chamakh is available on a free. Rafael Benitez is also thought to be keen on luring the Ligue 1 star to England although with fitness worries enveloping his attacking options it is believed the Spaniard would prefer to sign a striker this month.
“I’d like my situation to be fixed quickly, both for me and the club,” Chamakh told RMC Radio.
“If I’m not staying I want the club [Bordeaux] to have time to replace me. I’m still thinking about it, it’s not an easy decision which you take on a whim.
“I still have two to three weeks to sort things out. Whatever happens, by the end of January I will five my answer to president Jean-Louis Triaud before speaking to the media.”
Arsenal have so far ruled themselves out of the running for West Ham United’s Carlton Cole, Wolfsburg’s Edin Dzeko, Toulouse’s Andrew-Pierre Gignac and Crystal Palace starlet Victor Moses. The return from injury of Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner should ease the burden currently on Andrey Arshavin’s shoulders although the north London outfit still appear short of prowess given the long-term absence of Robin van Persie.
While Rafael Benitez has remained coy on his spending plans it is expected that a deal to sign Argentine international Maxi Rodriguez from Atletico Madrid will be pushed through in the coming days. Having raised £6 million from the sale of Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin to Napoli and Dynamo Moscow respectively the former Valencia coach has funds at his disposal.