Just when you thought the notion of Olivier Giroud leaving Chelsea was dead in the water, Lazio revive the idea.
The Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge for the last six months as his contract was set to expire this summer.
A move to Italy looked almost certain at one point in January, with Inter Milan and Lazio both chasing his signature.
That never happened but the rumours continued nonetheless, with his expiring contract and lack of playing time both reasons for him to seek a move.
Then, Chelsea surprised everyone by signing him to a new deal and that seemingly brought the constant flow of rumours to an end.
The situation has been quiet for a couple of weeks now but, according to Corriere Della Sera, it is too soon to put them to bed. Why? Because Lazio remain keen on the Frenchman.
The newspaper explains that Lazio are on the hunt for a striker this summer and want someone who is ‘experienced’, particularly as they are heading for the Champions League.
Giroud fits the profile, on and off the pitch, and they even had an agreement in place with him six months ago.
The Chelsea striker was happy to move to Rome and accepted their offer of a €2.5m a year, on two-year deal that they had proposed.
Any transfer had looked to be scuppered by him signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge, but sources close to the player have informed them that he has ‘doubts’ about his future.
He believes he won’t get much playing time with Timo Werner at the club and that would jeopardise his chances of going to the Euros with France next summer.
Thus, ‘everything is back on the table’ and Lazio could look to take advantage of the ‘uncertainty’ to get their man.
They believe that negotiations with Chelsea would be less ‘onerous’ because of Giroud’s age, while there is also a feeling that Roman Abramovich would ask for a small transfer fee at best.
The biggest issue they face is convincing Giroud’s wife to make the move as she is reluctant to leave London.
