Rarely seen Chelsea man leaves exit door ajar after washing hands of new deal

Olivier Giroud and Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea, February 2021

Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has refused to rule out a future transfer after his surprising admission about the club’s decision to renew his deal.

The French veteran had to settle for a bit-part role at Chelsea following the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. The German usually deployed either Timo Werner or Kai Havertz in the central striking position. That left both Giroud and fellow out of favour striker Tammy Abraham feeding on scraps for gametime.


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As a result, a switch to AC Milan had been heavily touted. Current Rossoneri talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic even endorsed the potential deal as a move was thought to be imminent.

However, news then broke of Chelsea triggering a clause in Giroud’s contract to extend his deal by 12 months.

That came as a surprise given the club’s well-publicised search for a marquee striker signing.

Club chief Marina Granovskaia explained the decision here, but the latest from Giroud himself has revealed he was a relative bystander in the process.

Offering his view on the renewal (via Football London), the 34-year-old said: “I want to make it clear that Chelsea reactivated the clause in April.

“And they recently announced it to comply with Premier League rules.”

June 7 Transfer Chatter - Laporte to Barcelona, Wijnaldum deal cools and Aston Villa keen on Ward-Prowse

June 7 Transfer Chatter - Laporte to Barcelona, Wijnaldum deal cools and Aston Villa keen on Ward-Prowse

Barcelona want Aymeric Laporte but are refusing to offer Gini Wijnaldum an improved offer, while Aston Villa are set to make a move for James Ward-Prowse.

Giroud then complimented the club he was rumoured to be joining, thereby leaving room for continued speculation over his future.

“It’s fair to remember that I liked Marco van Basten and Andriy Shevchenko. Milan are a big club and one of the great teams in Europe.

“But today, I will not talk about my future at the club because I am focused on the France team and the Euros, which is fast approaching.”

Barcelona move to derail Man Utd, Chelsea coup

Meanwhile, Barcelona have moved quickly to prevent Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City from pulling off what would’ve been a major transfer coup, per a report.

The trio were all reported to be seeking to capitalise on Barcelona’s financial woes with a move for Ilaix Moriba.

Ilaix Moriba Barcelona

The speculation swirled after the 18-year-old midfielder had been allowed to enter the final year of his deal. An £86m release clause was present in his contract. Though given their desperate need of a cash injection, Barcelona were deemed willing to sell in a cut-price transfer.

However, the latest report from the Manchester Evening News (citing Marca) reveals Barcelona are attempting to safeguard their future.

They report that Barcelona are belatedly ‘set to open contract negotiations’ with the highly touted youngster. 

A ‘three-year deal’ is said to be on the table. If signed, it would spell the end for the Premier League trio’s hopes of pulling off the major coup.

READ MORE: Havertz quick to name Chelsea man he would rather not face for Germany