Giroud admits one destination is unlikely in hint at plans after Chelsea

Olivier Giroud TEAMtalk

Olivier Giroud says a return to Ligue 1 is unlikely even if he chooses to leave Chelsea in January.

The French striker has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Timo Werner over the summer.

However, Giroud has been in a similar position before, having started last season as a backup to Tammy Abraham before ending the campaign as a first team regular.

He signed a new contract earlier this year to pledge his future to the Blues until the end of this season, but has been linked with a move away from the club either side of that announcement.

In January, he was close to joining Lazio, while in the summer, he had to deny rumours of a possible move to Juventus.

Now, fresh from scoring a brace for France against Ukraine to overtake Michel Platini as his nation’s second top scorer of all-time, Giroud has shed light on where he might move when the time comes to leave Chelsea.


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He told RMC Sport: “I’ve been close to moving to Serie A.

“They appreciated experienced players there, but the transfer didn’t materialise.

“For the future we will see what happens. I will decide by evaluating the opportunities I will have.

 

“I’m not ruling out anything, but for now I don’t see me returning to Ligue 1.

“I’d like to play at the highest level in Europe for another two or three years, then maybe I’ll go to the United States.”

Giroud has been at Chelsea since 2018, when he joined them after a six-year spell with Arsenal. Before that, he spent the rest of his career in France.

Giroud ‘convinced’ he made right decision to stay

Before his most recent appearance for France – which saw him reach senior 100 caps – Giroud said he was refusing “to go anywhere without a fight” despite the increased competition.

While he could have played more regularly elsewhere, he is keen to fight for his place at Chelsea over the next few months.

Giroud, 34, has not started any of Chelsea’s Premier League games so far this season. However, he is “convinced” that he still has a role to play under Frank Lampard.

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