Arsenal Transfer News: Chamakh Out, Giroud In?

Arsenal are preparing a cash plus player swap deal for Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud, according to the Metro.

The Gunners have been tracking the Frenchman for some time and are finally set to make their interest official by offering a cheeky bid of £6.4m plus Marouane Chamakh.

Giroud enjoyed a superb season last campaign, scoring 21 goals in 36 matches to help Montpellier clinch their first ever Ligue 1 title. The Metro report that the 25-year-old has attracted interest from the likes of Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa, but it’s Arsenal who remain in pole position for his signature.

The French international’s contract runs until 2014 and has a buy-out clause of £12.8m, which is excellent value for a player of his quality. However, Arsene Wenger is hoping to land the striker for the bargain price of just £6.4m by including Chamakh in the deal.

The Moroccan fell out-of-favour at the Emirates last season and scored just 1 goal in 19 appearances, many of which were made from the bench, and it seems the 28-year-old is set to leave North London this summer.

Montpellier may be interested in bringing Chamakh on board to replace Giroud, as he still has a good reputation in France after scoring 32 goals for Bordeaux between 2008-2010, but may value him at nearer £3m which means Arsenal would have to up their cash offer.

I’d love to see this swap deal come to fruition. Giroud looks like he’d be an excellent addition to the Arsenal attack and would no doubt be valued a lot higher than the £12.8m buy out clause, so he’d represent an great piece of business, especially if we can work Chamakh into the deal as well.

Marouane is almost certain to leave if Wenger can find a buyer this summer and a return to Ligue 1 would make sense for him. Let’s see if Arsene can work his magic, because by adding Giroud to RVP and Podolski; our striking options suddenly look devastating!

Would you like to see Chamakh swapped with Giroud? Get involved in the comments section.