OLIVIER GIROUD admits he will consider his Chelsea future in January after featuring just once in the new Premier League season.
The veteran French striker, 34, was expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the start of 2020 after finding himself playing second fiddle to Tammy Abraham.
Olivier Giroud admits he could leave Chelsea in January if his minutes don’t improveCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Despite nearly joining Tottenham, Giroud ended up staying put and eventually became Frank Lampard’s go-to goal machine, guiding the Blues to a Champions League spot with eight strikes.
His form resulted in a new one-year contract and the promise of even more minutes.
But the £45million summer arrival of Timo Werner, plus the continued presence of Abraham, has seen Giroud limited to even less opportunities than before.
Inter Milan were linked with a move over the summer.
And Juventus were expected to make an approach before landing Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid.
But with Euro 2021 on the horizon, World Cup winner Giroud admits he may finally have to leave west London as he plots another ‘two or three years’ in top-flight football.
Giroud, who overtook Michel Platini to become France’s second all-time top scorer behind Thierry Henry with a brace against Ukraine last night, 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.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk