Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud, who is struggling for game time, is reportedly a transfer target for European giants Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
According to a report from Daily Mirror, Chelsea outcast Olivier Giroud is set to be offered a way out of his misery in the January transfer window as Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund are weighing up a move for the Frenchman.
Giroud, 33, arrived at Chelsea from London rivals Arsenal in January last year and has gone on to make 69 appearances for the club, scoring 19 goals and setting up 13 more. However, the French international has found it hard to break into the Frank Lampard’s starting XI in the ongoing campaign.
Giroud has found himself behind Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi in the pecking order, both of whom have been in very good form. Abraham is the second-highest goalscorer in the Premier League this term with ten goals, while Batshuayi has chipped in with goals every time he has been given a chance by the manager.
This has relegated to Giroud to just six appearances across all competitions, only two of which came from the start, in which he has scored once. Unhappy with his situation, Giroud is understood to be seeking an exit in January, rather than wait for his contract to expire in the summer as he hopes to make it to the France squad for the UEFA Euro 2020.
Giroud’s hopes of sealing a transfer away from Stamford Bridge in the winter window have been handed a boost as Inter Milan are looking to sign him. The Nerazzurri signed Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez from Manchester United in the summer, but manager Antonio Conte is looking for more attacking reinforcements as he looks to challenge Juventus for the Serie A title.
Having signed Giroud during his time at Chelsea, the Italian tactician is believed to be keen on working with the Frenchman again and has reportedly told Inter to sign him in the January window. However, the Italians will have to battle Borussia Dortmund, who are also interested in securing the Frenchman’s services.
Borussia Dortmund had tried to sign Giroud in the summer transfer window last year, but the 33-year-old had rejected a move in favour of staying at Chelsea. The Bundesliga giants have rekindled their interest in the veteran forward though, as they look to recover from a dip in form and push for the league title.
Dortmund have Paco Alcacer as their lone centre-forward and have used Mario Gotze in the role when the Spaniard is unavailable, which hasn’t reaped great rewards always. And hence, it makes sense that they would be looking to bring in an experienced forward to boost their ranks in January.
Chelsea are open to offloading Giroud in the winter rather than losing him on a free transfer in the summer. The West Londoners value the 33-year-old at £5 million, a fee that shouldn’t prove problematic for either of the interested parties. It now remains to be seen if the Frenchman does end up securing a transfer in January and if so, whether it will be Inter or Dortmund that sign him.
