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Medical booked in this week as Chelsea star seals bargain exit

Olivier Giroud is expected to undergo a medical with AC Milan on Wednesday as his Chelsea career nears a conclusion.

Giroud has been with Chelsea since 2018, when he joined from Arsenal. He has scored some important goals in that time, but has frequently looked for an exit. As he chases down France’s all-time top scorer record, he wanted to maintain his place as their starting striker. That ultimately never came to be at Euro 2020.

Hence, the striker may be regretting the fact that he couldn’t find a move to somewhere he would play more regularly in previous transfer windows. Now, though, he looks set to get such a chance.

Chelsea confirmed recently that they had extended Giroud’s contract for another year. It was something of a surprise move, as he seemed all set to sign for Milan.

Later, it emerged that there was an agreement for Chelsea to free up the Frenchman if a club came calling for him. Milan have since kept up their pursuit and now seem to have got their man.

Rather than getting him on a free transfer as they were hoping, they will pay around €1m to sign the 34-year-old. There could also be a further €1m in add-ons.

According to Calciomercato, the deal has been agreed and Giroud will head to Milan for a medical on Wednesday.

Should all go to plan, he will then be able to commence training with his new teammates from July 26th after some extra time off.

It thus seems Giroud’s time with Chelsea is about to end, with 39 goals from 119 appearances. Across his entire Premier League career with Arsenal and Chelsea, he scored 90 goals from 255 top-flight games.

A new challenge now awaits Giroud, who has never played in Italy before. He is set to follow Fikayo Tomori to San Siro after his move from Chelsea to Milan became permanent earlier this summer.

The striker will sign a contract worth €4m per season until 2023.

Ziyech next to make same move?

A third player to potentially switch Stamford Bridge for San Siro could be Hakim Ziyech, who is now reportedly up for sale after just one year.

Milan appear to be his main suitors, as they need to find a way to replace Hakan Calhanoglu. The Turkey international left on a free transfer for rivals Inter, which was a bitter blow for the Rossoneri.

Calhanoglu could play on the right wing or in a central attacking midfield role. Ziyech can also feature in both of those positions, so could be an ideal replacement.

However, Tuttosport recently warned them that Ziyech will not be allowed to leave Chelsea on the cheap. After spending €40m on him a year ago, the Blues will not want to see most of that money wasted.

Thus, Milan are having to come up with a new strategy. According to the Italian newspaper, the solution could be for them to take him on loan. However, such a proposal would have to wait until later in the transfer window.

Presumably, Chelsea will be waiting to see if anyone comes in with an offer closer to their demands. If not, their stance may soften towards the end of the summer.

By then, if Milan are still interested, then a loan could help them get their man. But it seems Chelsea will wait to assess all the options before making such a commitment.

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