AC Milan are planning on reopening talks with Chelsea on Monday for Fikayo Tomori, but Olivier Giroud’s surprise renewal has thrown a spanner in the works.
That’s according to Gazzetta Dello Sport, who say there is ‘tension’ between the two clubs after Giroud extended for another year.
Milan are keen to sign Tomori on a permanent basis this summer after his successful loan spell and are working with Chelsea as they try to convince them to lower their €28m asking price.
Those talks are ‘close to the finish line’, but he is not the only Chelsea man who may make the move, with Giroud having ‘been in contact’ with the Italians for several days.
They were looking at a free transfer for the Frenchman, but out of nowhere, Chelsea revealed they had taken up a one-year extension option on the striker.
Giroud’s renewal was a heavy blow for AC Milan, who were only ever interested in Giroud, who they want to alternate with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, on a free transfer.
They have ‘reaffirmed’ their interest in him and Tomori but made it clear they don’t want to spend money on Giroud.
The player is current stuck in between, but his entourage have hastened to make it clear it was Chelsea and not him that extended his deal.
They say Chelsea have promised to release the striker if he receives an offer from abroad but at what cost is yet to be seen.
At the moment, the Blues don’t want to move their strikers and are waiting to see what calibre of forward they can bring into the club first.
Giroud wants to leave, though, as his relationship with Thomas Tuchel is at an ‘all-time low’, and they have promised him he can leave in the past. The Frenchman is hoping to use his personal relationship with Roman Abramovich to make a move happen.
He believes he is free to make his own choice but, in reality, is in the hands of Marina Granovskaia, who is set to talk to Milan on the phone on Monday.
That is to sort out a deal for Tomori, but Giroud, who has not been a part of discussions up to now, is likely to come up.
In the meantime, his agents are working to ‘calm the waters’ and find a way to get him to Italy this summer.
