Olivier Giroud is to shun advances from Italian sides this window and stay at Chelsea for the coming season.
The Frenchman came within a whisker of departing Stamford Bridge as recently as January, with the likes of Inter and Tottenham registering interest in signing him, due to fears the striker harboured over playing time under Frank Lampard.
Amid reports from Italy about a 2-year contract being agreed with Juventus last night, sources have told me Olivier Giroud is staying at #CFC & camp are not in contact with Serie A side. Giroud knows he has role to play on & off pitch as senior squad member.
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) September 11, 2020
Chelsea's new boss had a change of heart at the 11th hour, instead opting to start the 33-year-old towards the tail end of last season, where he put in some find displays and won over his manager.
However, with the Blues investing heavily in three new forwards this window - Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech - more fears were raised about Giroud's potential involvement. With some reports suggesting he had agreed a two-year deal with an Italian club, Simon Johnson of The Athletic has quelled such talk.
He states that Giroud is aware he has a role to play in west London both on and off the pitch, and that no such contact has been made with a Serie A club, thought to have been Juventus. Claims of fears over playing time under Lampard has been quashed too, as the Frenchman instead welcomes the competition.
Werner looks set to be the leading man for Chelsea, but is a player who enjoys leading the line alongside another front man, a role Giroud can fill. Furthermore, with so many matches to be played over such a short spell, he should get minutes.
With a summer outlay that is close to £300m, there is an acceptance that the Blues will need to sell players to balance the books, yet it would be a 'surprise' if Giroud was one of those to leave given his importance as a senior member of the squad.
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Source : 90min