Despite press reports to the contrary, it appears as though Fiorentina have not yet made a bid for out of favour striker Marouane Chamakh. It was widely thought that the Italian outfit were in pole position to sign the 28-year-old, but they have now confirmed that they have not made an offer due to the player’s high wages.
The Gunners have been banking on Chamakh to exit the club for some time. Even though he arrived with a fantastic reputation from Bordeaux, Chamakh has struggled to make an impact at the Emirates Stadium and managed to score just one goal last term.
However, it now appears as though they will have to look elsewhere to find a taker for the Moroccan international, with Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade stating that the player is simply not affordable for his club. He said, “Have we made an offer for Chamakh? We have not made one because he earns three million euros (per season).”
Should any club show an interest in Chamakh, it remains to be seen what sort of transfer fee the Gunners could command. He only joined the club on a free transfer and with Arsene Wenger clearly desperate to get his large wage off the books, they may even allow him to leave for nothing. The fact that he has been sent further down the pecking order following the arrival of Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud shows that his Arsenal career is well and truly over.
Of course, should the club decide to cash in on Robin Van Persie, Arsene Wenger will probably find it necessary to dip into the transfer market again. If he can manage to offload Chamakh and free up some more wages, he should at least have a little more money to invest on an adequate replacement for RVP.
