Olivier Giroud has officially left Chelsea by completing the move to AC Milan, joining the Serie A giants on a two-year contract.

AC Milan have made an official statement to confirm that they have secured the services of Olivier Giroud from Chelsea. The 34-year-old French forward has reportedly put pen to a two-year deal, with the Rossoneri paying Chelsea an initial €1 million while an addition €1 million will constitute bonuses.

Giroud joined Chelsea from Arsenal in January after spending over half a decade at the Emirates. The switch to Stamford Bridge proved to be successful for the veteran French forward, who won three major honours with the Blues, including this year’s UEFA Champions League.

However, from a sporting perspective, Giroud was often left frustrated as he had to play second fiddle to the likes of Alvaro Morata, Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner for much of his spell with Chelsea. Despite that, the 34-year-old managed a handy tally of 39 goals and 14 assists in 119 games for Chelsea. As the summer transfer window approached, it had become clear that Giroud was set to leave Chelsea.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup winner was initially expected to depart Stamford Bridge as a free agent before Chelsea chose to extend his contract by twelve months. This has enabled them to recoup a bit of money in his exchange, as he completes a move to AC Milan.

The interest from AC Milan had been evident for a couple of months now, but in recent weeks, the Serie A giants had inched closer to securing the services of the French international. The eagerness to sign someone like Giroud made sense as well, considering just how much the Rossoneri faltered in the absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season.

With Ibrahimovic clearly in the twilight of his career, Giroud is the kind of player who can share game-time with the Swedish powerhouse while also chipping in with a lot of valuable goals. As for Chelsea, the departure of the 34-year-old striker might not help them a lot monetarily, but his exit will clear up space for a potential big-money attacking arrival, with Erling Haaland being pursued.

On the financial front, Chelsea will receive an initial €1 million from AC Milan, who will also be liable to pay an additional €1 million in bonuses, as per Goal. While the duration of his deal with Milan has not been mentioned in the official statement, the aforementioned report claims Giroud has penned a two-year deal at San Siro. A new phase now beckons Giroud as he joins another big club in Europe.

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