Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is set to leave the club and is close to an agreement with AC Milan, reports Simon Johnson and Dominic Fifield of The Athletic.
The Frenchman, who joined the Blues in 2018 after spending six years at Arsenal, is out of contract this summer and has seen his playing time limited under Thomas Tuchel.
The same can be said for Tammy Abraham who, despite starting the season so well under Frank Lampard and finishing as the joint-top scorer in this season’s FA Cup, has barely had a sniff under Tuchel.
Olivier Giroud Close to AC Milan Move
Move to Soon Be Completed
According to Goal, officials from Milan are due to meet with Giroud and his representatives this week in order to discuss the terms of his move to the club.
Milan believe that he can add vital experience to their frontline and that he can still operate at the highest level, even at 34-years-old.
Though Tuchel previously insisted that a final decision had not been made on Giroud’s future, his departure seems likely given the direction the German manager seems to be taking the club.
Chelsea still have Timo Werner who can play that forward role, while Kai Havertz has been operating centrally to good effect in recent months.
Reports have also emerged that the Blues are keen on re-signing Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan, while Erling Haaland is also an option according to The Athletic, but it’s unlikely that Borussia Dortmund will sell having successfully qualified for the Champions League.
Giroud has often seen his playing time limited at Chelsea anyway. With new faces set to be added under a new manager, he would be far better off going to a side who believe he still has what it takes to be a top-tier striker in Europe – and everything, at the moment, is pointing towards that being Milan.
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