Arsenal's deal for Marouane Chamakh has been all but confirmed by Bordeaux.

Arsenal have tied up a deal for Bordeaux's Chamakh after the Moroccan striker agreed a pre-contract and will join this summer on a five-year contract worth £50,000-a-week.

Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud yesterday confirmed that Chamakh is set to leave with Arsenal his preferred destination.

Triaud said: "It is sometimes said that there is no smoke without fire. This is a blaze. It seems strange that so many sources are consistent."