Gunners boss still tracking Chamakh.

Arsene Wenger has admitted his interest in Marouane Chamakh, even though the Bordeaux striker claims to have given up hope of joining Arsenal.

The 25-year-old has been persistently linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium as a possible replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor and Wenger revealed he has been keeping tabs on the frontman.

"We keep an eye on him," said Wenger on the club's official website. "He is one of the players that we will follow and if we went for a striker then he would be one of the possibilities."
Chamakh, though, is no longer confident a move to Arsenal will materialise.

"I don't really believe it much any more," he told L'Equipe.
But the forward still has his heart set on a move to the Premier League, with Sunderland, Blackburn, Tottenham and Fulham all reportedly possible destinations.

"My bosses (at Bordeaux) are trying to convince me to stay," added Chamakh.
"But for me, it's a risk that I'll take. It's my dearest wish."

Chamakh, who has spent all his career at Bordeaux since joining their youth set-up at the age of 16, revealed he hopes to finalise a move before Les Girondins set off for Canada next Thursday.
"Frankly my head isn't in going to Canada," he said.

"My head is in England.

"We're talking about my first transfer, I didn't know anything about all the problems that this could pose. I'm having bad nights at the moment."

Adebayor has joined big-spending Manchester City and Wenger paid tribute to the Togo striker's impact in his three years in north London.

Wenger said: "Firstly, we must thank Emmanuel for his contribution to the club. Whenever he was on the pitch, he always gave absolutely everything to the team and since joining us in January 2006, he produced a number of match-winning performances.

"Emmanuel leaves with our best wishes and we now look forward continuing our preparations for next season."

Adebayor may have gone, but Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Rosicky, who has been plagued by a hamstring tendon injury for about one-and-a-half seasons, could be fit for the start of the new campaign.

Rosicky played his first game for the club in 18 months when he captained the side in a friendly at Barnet on Saturday, playing the first 45 minutes.

The former Borussia Dortmund star will now look to step up his fitness at the nine-day training camp in Austria, which starts with a friendly in Vienna tomorrow.

And Wenger feels that, if all goes to plan, the creative midfielder could be fit to for the start of the Premier League.

"We have to prepare him well and balance him well," said the manager.

"But if he comes through the preparations OK then he could start the season.

"There was a time I feared that [he might not come back] and I think that he felt it too. But he always had a dedicated and healthy life so I always had hope."