Chamakh expecting to stay at Bordeaux
Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has revealed he has all-but given up hope of sealing a switch to the Premier League this summer, as the Ligue 1 club continue to play hard-ball over the front-man's future.
The Moroccan international, who has netted 15 times for his country, has been linked with a move to England throughout the close-season.
His 13 goals last term helped secure a first league title in 10 years for les Girondins, but Chamakh has made no secret of his desire to leave the Stade Chaban Delmas.
He has previously claimed to have agreed terms with Sunderland, Fulham, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur, while Arsenal are now believed to have withdrawn their interest in the striker after refusing to up their offer of £5 million.
West Ham have recently thrown their hat into the ring for the goal-getter, with reports suggesting Bordeaux were willing to accept an €8.2 million offer from the Hammers, wary of the fact that Chamakh will depart for free next summer when his contract expires.
However, the forward has now revealed that he is growing increasingly pessimistic about completing a transfer before the end of August, expressing his disappointment at not being allowed to leave the Ligue 1 club for his dream club, Arsenal.
"I hear the chairman has said that nothing will be settled before 31st August, and he was 99 percent sure about that," he told L'Equipe.
"Maybe he is right. I appear to have less chance of leaving every day.
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"I understood the club's behaviour when they turned down Sunderland, but I have been surprised that no agreement has been reached with Arsenal. even though they made a small offer.
"I was disappointed then and I am still disappointed now. I am not optimistic about my chances of making a move.
"West Ham are the latest candidates, but they appear to have drifted away. Bordeaux remain the problem. It is very complex."
And the striker, who has already scored three times in his first two league appearances of the new season, also insisted that he would not definitely be walking away from the club for free at the end of the campaign when his contract runs out.
"Will I prolong my stay here? It is too early to say," he said.
"I don't want to sign at the moment because I would still like to leave this summer. If I sign I will feel like I am imprisoned.
"At the moment, with one year left on my contract, I hold all the cards and I like that. I want everything to be done under my terms."
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.