Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud will be the happiest man on earth right now as the striker has agreed terms for a January transfer to Inter Milan.
The French striker, who has scored 19 goals since joining Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2018, has put pen to paper to a two-and-a-half year contract with the Italian side. A move to Inter would see Giroud reunite with Antonio Conte, who brought him to Stamford Bridge and also see him link up with former Arsenal teammate Alexis Sanchez.
According to Sky in Italy, Inter will now meet with Chelsea to agree on a fee for the 33-year-old who was linked to Crystal Palace and Atletico Madrid. It is understood that Chelsea want Inter to pay between £6.8m (€8m) and £8.5m (€10m) for the striker, but the Italian side do not want to spend more than £4.3m (€5m).
Giroud’s contract expires in the summer and has found it difficult to get game time since the arrival of manager Frank Lampard who prefers Tammy Abraham as his first-choice striker. 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 striker 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 Giroud expressed his desire to leave Stamford Bridge in January. But it remains to been seen if Conte would prefer to play Romelu Lukaku who has been prolific for Inter ahead of Giroud or vice versa.
Recall that Lampard had admitted that Giroud could leave Stamford Bridge this month if the striker wants a move away and the club receives a suitable offer for the striker.
Lampard said: “My answer remains the same as it has done recently and I have spoken with him.
“If the conditions are that it’s something Oli really wants to do and it works for the club and it works for me and the squad, then it’s something that could happen.
“But only when all three of those bases are covered. So we’re still there.”
