French World Cup star Franck Ribery could be an Arsenal player by the end of the week according to British paper The Guardian, which learned that Arsenal handed in a formal bid to Olympique Marseille chairman Pape Diouf. The transfer offer was revealed in France Football, a publication said to be close to Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger, by Ribery’s agent Bruno Heiderscheid. The offer from the North London club means the Gunners have most likely resigned themselves to losing Ashley Cole to Chelsea, which would free up as $47 million in transfer cash. The high transfer cost would leave Wenger with plenty of room to buy Ribery, who is estimated to cost a minimum $25 million. And Arsenal may not be done there: with the departure of Sol Campbell to Portsmouth, the Gunners need added cover in the center of defense, too, a role that Chelsea misfit William Gallas, another Frenchman, would fit perfectly. The French World Cup defender is likely to cost upward of $20 million; Real Madrid is also reportedly interested in the 28-year-old as a partner in the center defense for Fabio Cannavaro. The Guardian seemed reasonably certain the Ribery deal would move through, although it would seem Cole’s transfer to Chelsea would have to be completed first. Yesterday, Wenger said he wanted a resolution to the Ashley Cole transfer saga: “For me, certainly, the deadline has come now to make a decision one way or the other,” he said. “This week is the last limit I can expect something to happen.”