AC Milan are close to reaching an agreement with Chelsea for the Olivier Giroud signing. As confirmed by Fabrizio Romano, Milan will pay around €2 million for the France international.
Milan Close in on Olivier Giroud Signing
Time at Chelsea to End
The impending transfer to Milan will end Giroud’s three-and-a-half year association with Chelsea. The striker arrived in the Premier League fresh off a Ligue 1 title win with Montpellier. Giroud was the top scorer for the then champions. 21 goals and nine assists meant he finished as the league’s top scorer as well.
As a result, there was a race to sign him in the summer of 2012. Arsenal won that race, and he joined for around €12.4 million. He won three FA Cups with Arsenal before departing for London rivals Chelsea in January 2018.
Initially, he signed a one-and-half year contract. He made an immediate impact, scoring a memorable goal against Southampton en route to the FA Cup trophy- his fourth in five years. He finished as the competition’s top scorer as Chelsea won the 2018/19 Europa League title. In fact, Giroud even scored in the final against former club Arsenal.
The Frenchman extended his contract at the start of the 2019/20 season. However, new manager Frank Lampard initially saw him as third-choice striker behind Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi. It was rumoured that he would leave in January 2020. He stayed, however, and scored eight times in the second half of the season, guiding Chelsea to another FA Cup final and a fourth placed finish in the league.
He extended his contract again ahead of 2020/21, and once again began low in the pecking order. Giroud made his mark when called upon, however. Notably, he scored the winner against Rennes off the bench in the Champions League and then hit four past Sevilla. He ended the season holding the Champions League trophy aloft, bringing a happy end to his time in London.
Personal Terms Agreed
It was a surprising move when Chelsea activated the option to extend Giroud’s contract in April. That turned out to be a move to simply get a transfer fee for the veteran. Chelsea would not stand in the way of the 2018 World Cup winner leaving.
Giroud has now reportedly agreed terms with AC Milan for a contract until 2023. He will provide an additional option up front for a Milan side that is overdependent on 40-year old Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Serie A runners-up are in the process of agreeing a fee with Chelsea. The deal is very close to completion, and should happen very soon.
The 34-year has seen off competition from Werner and Abraham, scoring 11 goals in just about 1200 minutes of action. He’s on for a new challenge now.
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