Chelsea are reportedly open to allowing Olivier Giroud to leave in January, but there could be a major obstacle to a touted move to Inter.
The 33-year-old has found playing time hard to come by so far this season as he’s made just six appearances across all competitions for the Blues.
With Tammy Abraham establishing himself as the first-choice striker under Frank Lampard, coupled with Michy Batshuayi pushing to be the top back-up option, it has led to a limited role for Giroud.
Given his age and likely desire to protect his spot in the France squad ahead of EURO 2020, it would come as no surprise if that’s enough to push the stalwart towards the exit door at Stamford Bridge. According to Calciomercato, as per Sport Mediaset, Chelsea are prepared to allow him to move on for around €5m with Inter said to be continuing to push for a deal.
However, there could still be an issue in finding a potential agreement for Giroud in the New Year, as the Express add that the French international’s contract demands could scupper an exit with Inter specifically mentioned again as a possible destination for him next year.
It’s suggested that Giroud is demanding a two-year deal which would pay him around £7m-a-year, and so with interested parties perhaps put off by that, it remains to be seen whether or not an exit will materialise in January.
A move away would seem to make sense given his lack of playing time at Chelsea, while Antonio Conte arguably needs to add more quality depth to his Inter squad behind Romelu Lukaku up front to compete across multiple fronts.
That said, Giroud could find himself in a similar situation at the San Siro as he is in now in terms of playing second fiddle, and so perhaps he’ll have to take that into consideration too before making a decision on his future and a next possible move.
