Marseille offer Chamakh escape to France

Marseille want to offer Arsenal striker Marouane Chamakh a route back into Ligue 1 after a mixed first season in English football.

The French club are already drawing up their transfer plans for the summer and reports in France have revealed that Chamakh is one of Marseille's top targets.

The Morocco international joined Arsenal from Bordeaux on a free transfer last summer but, after an impressive start for the club, has struggled to hold down a regular place in Arsene Wenger's team.

Now Marseille, who sit second in Ligue 1, hope to tempt Chamakh back to France with the promise of regular first-team football.

An early-season injury to Robin Van Persie ensured that Chamakh was a regular starter and he scored eight Premier League goals before the start of December.

But since the turn of the year, the 27-year-old has started only once in the Premier League and has not scored a top-flight goal since November.