Chelsea transfer news: Olivier Giroud set to remain at the club despite Serie A interest

Olivier Giroud will not be leaving Chelsea in the January transfer window, according to reports.

The France international has been linked with a mid-season switch to Serie A, with both Juventus and AC Milan said to be interested.

Giroud again had to remain patient for game time at the start of the season before forcing his way into Frank Lampard’s side.

However, with Tammy Abraham and Timo Werner also fighting for the centre-forward spot, Giroud has been restricted to just four starts in the Premier League.

That has led to speculation that the former Arsenal man could seek pastures new in the January window.

Giroud is still France’s first-choice striker but a lack of regular minutes in the second half of the campaign could hinder his chances of maintaining that status ahead of this summer’s European Championship.

But despite the Serie A rumours, Goal write that Giroud is set to stay put at Stamford Bridge for now.

Lampard has made it clear to the Chelsea hierarchy that the Frenchman is a major part of his plans.

The Blues boss has come under pressure following a run of one win in seven games in all competitions.

And the club legend has been granted his wish to retain the services of the 34-year-old for the remainder of 2020/21.

Giroud will be out of contract in the summer, though, and there have not yet been any talks about a new deal.

"The ambition is to win something with Chelsea this season,” the striker told Le Dauphine Libere.

“The rest of my career, in the short term, I see it at Chelsea. Now we know that things are going very quickly in football, for good and bad [reasons]. I want to keep a cool head and concentrate on the pitch.

"My contract at Chelsea will end in June, even though I have the option to stay for another year. We will discuss it at the end of the year. 

"But, once again, I have the ambition to win something with Chelsea this season because I have high hopes linked to the quality of our squad."

Chelsea face Morecambe in the FA Cup third round this weekend.

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