Report: Chelsea Have Secured A Deal For Arsenal Ace Olivier Giroud

As per a report from highly-respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio this morning, Premier League champions Chelsea have clinched a deal for Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud.

31-year-old hitman Giroud was heavily linked with a departure from the Emirates during the summer, following the big-money arrival of Alexandre Lacazette at the club from Lyon.

The likes of Everton, West Ham United, Marseille and more were known to have expressed an interest in bringing Giroud in, but, in the end, he stayed put in North London, vowing to fight for his place with the club.

The experienced attacker’s plan to battle with French international teammate Lacazette for starting duties has not gone according to plan for Giroud since, though, with the former Montpellier man having been given the nod from the start in just 1 Premier League game so far this season.

He did manage starts in all 6 of Arsenal’s Europa League group stage fixtures, but Arsene Wenger has used Europe’s second-tier competition as more of an opportunity for youngsters and those struggling for first-team chances to receive game-time.

January departure?

Unsurprisingly, Giroud’s lack of a regular starting place at the Emirates has led to inevitable January exit links for the Frenchman, with both thestriker and his agent having hinted over recent weeks that a temporary departure from North London would be beneficial, especially with this summer’s World Cup drawing ever closer.

In addition,Arsenal now look to be on the verge of securing a deal for prolific Borussia Dortmund hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, making the pathway to regular minutes for Giroud at the club an even more difficult one.

Giroud’s proven goalscoring pedigreeover the last 6 seasons at Arsenal has resulted in a number of clubs expressing an interest in his services since the opening of the winter transfer market at the beginning of the month.

Borussia Dortmund reportedly requested for Giroud to be included as part of the deal which looks set to send Aubameyang to the Emirates, but this aspect of the agreement now looks increasingly unlikely to come to fruition.

This led to mounting rumours over the last 24 hours that the 69-time capped Les Bleus’ international couldbe set for a surprise loan move to Chelsea for the remainder of the season, with the Blues known to be on the lookout for reinforcements at centre-forward.

However, as per the latest update from Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio this evening, the deal to send Giroud to Stamford Bridge in fact looks set to be a permanent one, much to the frustration of Gunners’ fans.

The breaking story a short time ago confirms that the London rivals have come to an agreement over a £15 million deal (plus bonuses), with Giroud looking set to joinRoma defender Emerson Palmieriin taking his medical for the Blues over the next 24 hours.