Revealed: Why Giroud turned down Premier League move in January

Olivier Giroud turned down a return to the Premier League in January with Fulham making a failed bid for the France World Cup winner.

The former Chelsea and Arsenal star is coming to the end of his current AC Milan contract, which expires in summer 2024, but there remains the possibility that he signs a new deal at San Siro.

Should no contract materialise, then he could seek to move to MLS or else return to Ligue 1. There promises to be an administrative shakeup at Milan this summer and Giroud might well find himself squeezed out.

That is according to Calciomercato, which claims Marco Silva’s side offered Giroud an 18-month deal, extending to summer 2025, in order to make the switch back to England.

Fulham desperate for Mitro successor

Fulham were looking for a successor to Aleksandr Mitrovic, who moved in summer to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, and ended up signing Armando Broja on loan from Chelsea late in the window.

There was keen interest in Giroud’s services from the Saudi Pro League too but he opted to stay put in Milan with prizes still to be disputed.

Although the Rossoneri are unlikely to win the Scudetto, which Giroud lifted in 2022, they could well end up going deep in the Europa League having fallen out of the Champions League.

The 37-year-old is in his third season at Milan, having signed from Chelsea in 2021. He has played 112 matches for the Italians, scoring 44 goals and reached the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Despite his advancing age, there remains big interest in Giroud whose prowess shows no sign of waning.

He has been in great form since the turn of the year, with three goals and three assists in five Serie A matches since January.

Giroud has also played 129 games and scored 56 goals for France, helping his side to the 2018 World Cup title.