Target man: Ribery is a highly sought-after
prize
Arsenal have been given the green light to sign top
transfer target Franck Ribery this summer after the Frenchman's
club, Olympique Marseille, admitted that the 24-year-old is up for
sale. "Ribery will leave for a significant fee that is good for
L'OM," said Marseille president Pape Diouf. "But that doesn't mean
we want him to leave."
Arsenal enquired last summer about the £15million-rated Frenchman
and have long been regarded as favourites for his signature, partly
because of the French influence at Emirates Stadium and the fact
that Thierry Henry is one of Ribery's best friends in
football.
Arsene Wenger, who has spoken of signing only "super, super class"
players this summer, is aware of the need to freshen up a team
whose game plan became predictable last season without the natural
width that Ribery would provide. But the Arsenal boss faces
competition for the French international from Bayern Munich, who
have money in the bank following the £18million sale of Owen
Hargreaves to Manchester United.
Real Madrid and Chelsea are also keeping tabs on the midfielder.
Ribery is confident his playing future will be decided soon. "At
the end of next week, we should know more about my future," he told
a French newspaper.
Arsenal face a mid-season striking crisis next year when Togo
striker Emmanuel Adebayor heads off to the African Nations Cup.
They may also lose Julio Baptista, the Brazilian who struggled to
settle after arriving on loan from Real Madrid.
