Who would have thought that Marouane Chamakh could be playing Champions League football this season? Certainly not Neil Warnock and Cardiff.
Cardiff City’s attempts to bring veteran striker Marouane Chamakh to South Wales could be dashed with Serie A giants Napoli reportedly keen on the former Arsenal striker, according to Football Italia.
The Moroccan target man was released by Crystal Palace at the end of last season after falling out of favour with Alan Pardew, meaning he is free to sign for a new club outside of the designated transfer window.
According to the BBC, recently appointed Bluebirds boss Neil Warnock (below) had been keen on bringing the experienced striker to the Cardiff City Stadium having worked together at Selhurst Park, but an offer from Napoli could blow the Championship strugglers out of the water.
Last season’s Serie A runners-up appeared to have replaced the talismanic Gonzalo Higuain impeccably in the off-season, Poland international Arkadiusz Milik netting seven times in nine games in all competitions since arriving from Ajax.
However, Milik (below) will reportedly miss four months of action after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament on international duty against Denmark, meaning Napoli once again face up to the daunting task of replacing a star striker.
With almost three months to wait until the January transfer window, the club could turn their attention to a number of out-of-contract veterans, with Chamakh reportedly joined by Emmanuel Adebayor, Dimitar Berbatov and Kevin Kuranyi on the shortlist, according to Football Italia
This latest development will surely come as a blow to Warnock as he aims to build a squad capable of surviving in the second tier.
Then again, Chamakh’s tally of eight league goals in five years for Palace, Arsenal and West Ham would hardly have raised expectations of a late-career flourish among Cardiff supporters.
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