Giroud hints he may still leave Chelsea despite new deal

Olivier Giroud has hinted that he could still leave Chelsea for AC Milan this summer.

The striker was widely expected to leave Stamford Bridge for Italy before it was announced that he had been given a new contract.

Chelsea took up options to extend the contracts of Giroud and Thiago Silva by 12 months.

But the Frenchman, who is preparing to represent his country at the Euros, has suggested that he could yet end up playing in Serie A next season.

“I want to make it clear that Chelsea reactivated the clause in April and they recently announced it to comply with Premier League rules,” said Giroud, as reported by Goal.com.

“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.”

Giroud, 34, has scored 17 goals in 75 Premier League appearances since moving to the Bridge from Arsenal in January 2018, with 42 of those outings coming as a substitute.

With Timo Werner ahead of him in the pecking order, Kai Havertz another option as a centre-forward, and Chelsea expected to bolster attacking options, Giroud’s first-team chances are likely to be limited were he to stay.