Aston Villa made approach to Chelsea to take Olivier Giroud on loan, SSN has learned
Friday 10 January 2020 12:46, UK
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud remains a target for Inter Milan although the clubs have not had any fresh contact since the January window opened.
The Serie A club was in touch with Chelsea before Christmas over a deal for the France international, according to Sky In Italy.
Giroud has not featured for Chelsea since the end of November, with Tammy Abraham the clear No 1 striker at Stamford Bridge since the arrival of Frank Lampard as manager.
The 33-year-old has scored 19 goals since joining Chelsea in January 2018, although only five have come in the league where the majority of his appearances have been as a substitute.
He has only made five Premier League appearances this season, with four of his five goals coming while on international duty and the fifth in the European Super Cup against Liverpool.
A move to Inter would reunite Giroud with Antonio Conte, who initially signed him for Chelsea after his five-and-a-half season spell with London rivals Arsenal.
Sky Sports has also learned that Aston Villa made an approach to Chelsea to take Giroud on loan for the rest of the season, but Giroud's preference is to link up with Conte rather than join a relegation battle with Villa in the Premier League.
Competition rules dictate that only one loan is allowed between the same two Premier League clubs, and so - with the Giroud deal looking unlikely, Villa opted for midfielder Danny Drinkwater instead.
Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.
Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.
Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.
And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
