Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Chelsea surprised many with the announcement last week that Olivier Giroud’s contract has been extended a further year, and especially by the detail that it actually had been extended back in April, even. Everyone had been assuming for some time that the 34-year-old would be leaving Stamford Bridge this summer, when that was far from a foregone conclusion in reality.
That said, the extension appears to have still not guaranteed Giroud staying with the team. If anything, it’s made things more complicated.
AC Milan had been hoping to sign the veteran striker for free, and may or may not have even agreed personal terms over a two-year deal. But unless Chelsea are willing to let Giroud leave for free despite now having a twelve-month contract — conceivable, but unlikely (we let Mikel go six months early, for example, in 2017) — Milan would have to cough up at least a nominal fee. And the mostrecentreports from Italy made it pretty clear that they were not willing to do that, unsurprisingly.