[kiko]

Arsene Wenger will make a final attempt to bring Marouane Chamakh to Arsenal before the transfer window closes.

Wenger has offered £5 million for the Moroccan striker – a bid that was dismissed by Bordeaux as well short of their valuation.

Their manager Laurent Blanc values the 25-year-old at twice that amount.

But Wenger is aware that Chamakh is out of contract at the end of the season and will be able to get him on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.

He can also start talking to Chamakh in January to negotiate a deal for next season – and Blanc would then have a distracted player on his hands.

Wenger wants to add to his squad before the deadline and is now set to go in with a final offer close to £8.5m in the hope that Bordeaux will relent and allow the player to leave.

The Arsenal manager will also decide in the next 48 hours whether to move for Patrick Vieira.

Vieira – currently at Inter Milan – has been omitted from the French squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with manager Raymond Domenech citing a lack of match fitness.

It is unlikely that Vieira will figure prominently in Jose Mourinho’s plans at the San Siro and his return would give Wenger much-needed experience in central midfield and he would also benefit from Vieira’s influence among the younger players in the squad.

In the long-term, Vieira, who was brought up under the Wenger philosophy and who became a World Cup winner with Arsenal for France, could be groomed for a coaching role.