AC Milan are reportedly on the verge of tying up a deal to bring Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud to the club this summer.
The Rossoneri are in the market for a striker in the coming months, with a lack of quality competition and depth beside Zlatan Ibrahimovic emerging as a glaring issue for Stefano Pioli moving forward.
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After Mario Mandzukic moved on following his short-term stint at Milan, the search is on to fill that void, and it appears as though Giroud has become our top target.
As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, it’s suggested that a deal could be struck with the French international in the next 48 hours on personal terms, with either a two-year or three-year contract to be agreed while it could be worth around €3.5m-€4m per year.
However, there is still an obstacle in the way of a switch, as Milan want to sign Giroud on a free transfer, but that was seemingly taken off the table last week when an extension was announced by Chelsea.
In turn, time will tell what compromise the respective parties reach, but it certainly sounds positive from a Milan perspective that progress is being made to bring the World Cup-winner to San Siro ahead of the new campaign.
Giroud, 34, is currently on international duty with France at Euro 2020, off the back of scoring 11 goals in 31 games for Chelsea last season.
Given his experience, physical presence up front and his threat in the air, he would suit Milan and Pioli’s style of play as we prefer to play with a target man up top as seen with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and so despite his advancing years, he could be a smart addition.
It remains to be seen though if a deal is wrapped up, and it may take a little longer given Giroud’s focus is currently on the European Championship with France and not his club future.