As Barcelona look to bolster their striking options, the Spanish club are eyeing a shock loan move for Chelsea outcast striker Olivier Giroud before the window shut down.
The French striker, who has scored 19 goals since joining Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2018, is set to leave Stamford Bridge this month as his contract expires in the summer. He has also found it difficult to get game time since the arrival of manager Frank Lampard who prefers Tammy Abraham as his first-choice striker.
Giroud is desperate to seek out first-team football ahead of France’s Euro 2020 campaign after been warned by France coach Didier Deschamp that he might lose his spot if he continues to sit on the bench at Chelsea. This has made the Frenchman expressed his desire to leave Stamford Bridge in January.
The French striker has only made five Premier League appearances this season and has scored once in the Super Cup final defeat by Liverpool back in August. The 33-year-old had been linked with Inter Milan but the move appears to have broken down.
And according to the Independent, Barcelona are interested in signing Giroud on a cut-price January deal after striker Luiz Suarez was ruled out for four months due to a knee injury which is likely to see him miss the rest of the season. New Barcelona boss Quique Setien will be keen on strengthening his forward line before the end of the month.
Lionel Messi started upfront in Setién’s first game in charge, but club officials fear that they do not have enough cover behind the Argentine and Antoine Griezmann. The Catalans are scared that things would get even worse if anything were to happen to both players.
The Catalan club are desperate to find emergency cover for the forward this month. The Spanish club are interested in signing Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and now looking at six-month loan options for Rodrigo.
Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been linked with a move to the Nou Camp but the newly-appointed Gunners captain looks set to stay in England until the summer.
