The Times begin their transfer rumour round-up wityh an interesting story this morning.

They say that Fulham were in talks with Bordeaux last night about signing their want-away centre forward Marouane Chamakh. The Moroccan international would seem to fit Roy Hodgson’s profile for a new striker, strong in the air due to his height, and a regular goalscorer. Chamakh scored 13 Ligue 1 goals last season and claims that he would be available for around £7m.

The complication is that Hodgson may well be beaten to the line by Arsenal. Chamakh himself seems to prefer thepossibility of a move to north London and says that he has already been in touch with the Gunners. It is his view that Arsene Wenger sees him as a ready-made replacement for Emmanuel Adebayor, who is still tipped to leave the Emirates this summer. Fulham’s failure to reach agreement with Chamakh may well let Wenger in.