Friday, 5th July, 2013
Levante are preparing to compete with La Liga rivals Real Betis over Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh, according to Spanish daily AS, given the Moroccan’s recent struggles at the Emirates Stadium.
Chamakh spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, as Arsenal’s quartet of Olivier Giroud, Lukas Podolski, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain became regulars in attack.
Real Betis had already made their intentions clear to Arsenal with talks, and are hoping to make their overall relationship with the Gunners count.
Betis are a graduation platform for Arsenal’s youngsters, who build up to first team action by competing for the club in the technically tougher climes of La Liga.
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However, it seems Levante are hoping to make Joaquin Caparros’ first season as coach a successful one, and Chamakh has been targeted as a major buy for the mid-table club.
The 29-year-old was brought over to England from Bordeaux in 2010 and, after a successful first season, found opportunities hard to come by.
Chamakh’s most profitable time came when he was with the senior squad at Bordeaux for eight years, as he made 276 appearances and scored 71 goals.
A return to his old club had been mooted, but Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud had rubbished reports of the same, saying no discussions had ever taken place.
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