Anelka's future is uncertain after a fine season for Bolton, but Sammy Lee insisted over the weekend there had still been no offers for the Frenchman.
Pires, who like Anelka is a former Arsenal player, believes Villarreal should step in for the £8million-rated hit man.
Villarreal will be without the likes of Diego Forlan, Juan Roman Riquelme and Roberto Ayala this season and Pires feels it is crucial for new faces to come in.
"For me Nico is the best attacking French player in Europe," Pires said in The Sun.
"It would be a sensational buy for us."
