Chelsea strikers Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi will remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the January transfer window, the club has disclosed.
Giroud will be out of contract next summer and will enter the final six months of his deal in January. This implies that the French striker will be free to discuss with other clubs about potentially joining on a free transfer. Crystal Palace, West Ham, Juventus, Rangers, Bordeaux, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan reportedly want to prize Giroud away from Stamford Bridge.
Reports in the UK said that Crystal Palace may make a move to keep the striker in the Premier League due to his League experience with Arsenal and Chelsea. The Eagles are favourites to land the 33-year-old as Chelsea are reportedly interested in bringing Wilfried Zaha from Selhurst Park to Stamford Bridge, while Aston Villa want Batshuayi at the Villa Park fter Dean Smith lost record signing Wesley Moraes for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
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. Giroud expressed his desire to leave Stamford Bridge in January due to a lack of game time with Tammy Abraham in red-hot form.
But assistant boss Jody Morris – who stepped into media duties with Frank Lampard hit by a bug doing the rounds at Cobham – played down talk of the pair leaving, recognising their importance within the squad.
Asked on a potential departure for Giroud, Morris said: “He still plays for Chelsea.
“We can’t just let players walk out the door if we’re going to be short somewhere.
“We need to look at individuals but he’s been a class act and a top professional. I don’t envisage there being any problems in that regard.
“Everyone is valuable. We’ve viewed every single player as a valuable asset. You never know what can happen with injuries or form.”
