By Mandeep Sanghera

Pires has been linked with a move to a host of European clubs

Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires will end the long-running saga over his future after the Champions League final against Barcelona.

Arsenal's policy is to offer over-30's the maximum of a one-year contract but Pires, 33, wants a two-year deal.

"We've got the final coming up and we are going to focus on that and then I will decide whether I want to leave," he said.

"At the moment I honestly don't know what I'm going to do."

The France midfielder hailed Arsenal as "a fantastic club in every sense of the word".

But he warned: "I need to think about whether I'm going to stay. I need to think about the offer that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have made.

The label of outsider suits us best because all the pressure is going to be on Barcelona Robert Pires

"But now is not the right time to talk about it. We should be concentrating on the match.

"We need to put all our attention to this and asking on whether Arsenal can win and I think we can."

Pires has cited the Premiership win over Liverpool as a turning point for Arsenal who have since lost just once in 13 games to clinch fourth spot in the league and reach the Champions League final.

They have overcome Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal on the way to booking their place in the Paris showpiece next Wednesday.

WILL HE, WON'T HE? THE SAGA OVER PIRES'S FUTURE 3 March: Pires hints at new deal 20 March: Pires denies Rangers link 22 March: Pires sets terms on Arsenal deal 7 April: Pires close to deciding future 21 April: Wenger holds firm over Pires 26 April: Pires ponders Villareal

And, while Spanish side Barcelona will be favourites, Pires says the tag of underdogs suits the Gunners.

"It's less pressure," he said. "When we played Real Madrid and Juventus everyone thought they were going to win but we surprised them both.

"When the roles were reversed and we were the favourites against Villarreal that's when we played our worst.

"So, that's why we think that the label of outsider suits us best because all the pressure is going to be on Barcelona."

Pires also believes that the more football purist style of Barcelona will suit Arsenal's game rather than the more physical opponents the Gunners have had problems with in the past.

He added: "It's better to be playing against a football team like Barcelona.

"It was a similar situation to Real Madrid, perhaps not so much with Juventus, but the final suits us because they are going to try and play football.