Source: SKY_Sports
Sunderland warned off Chamakh
Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc has insisted he will not sell Marouane Chamakh to Sunderland.
The Moroccan striker has been linked with a move away from the French club this summer following a magnificent 2008/9 campaign.
Sunderland are interested in securing his services but Blanc has already stated that he will only allow the 25-year-old to join a 'big club'.
Blanc has now reiterated his stance and made it clear to the Black Cats they will only be frustrated if they continue to pursue Chamakh.
"I am going to do everything to make sure he does not go to just any club," Blanc told L'Equipe.
"With him, things are clear. After the season he's had, if he has to go, it will be to a big club. That's why I am standing in the way of a departure to Sunderland.
"I am not going to change what I said to him at the start of the year. If an offer comes from a big club, I will not stand in the way. The door is half-open."
Blanc hopes Chamakh will stay with Bordeaux for another season and enhance his reputation further.
He explained: "Players with Marouane's profile are difficult to find. He is someone who has showed enormous progress in his efficiency.
"Abroad, he has an image of a good striker who scores little. It is why I would like him to stay, to score between 15 and 20 goals with us and that people can realise he is a goalscorer."
Ciani
Bordeaux are keen to strengthen their squad after winning the Ligue 1 title in 2008/9 and are poised to complete the signing of Michael Ciani after agreeing a deal with Lorient for the defender.
"Before the traditional medical, the various administrative steps and the official signing of a contract, Bordeaux and Lorient have come to an agreement for the transfer of Michael Ciani, the 25-year-old centre-back," read a statement on the club's official website.
