Giroud urges ‘Hazard-like’ Chelsea star to join him at Milan as swap deal for £130m star mooted
Olivier Giroud has urged former Chelsea team-mate Christian Pulisic to join him at AC Milan this summer.
Giroud swapped Chelsea for Milan in the summer of 2021 and has scored 27 goals across the last two seasons, helping Stefano Pioli’s side to the Champions League semi-finals.
And he could be joined by Pulisic, who is thought to be up for grabs this summer as Chelsea look to trim their bulging squad at Stamford Bridge on the back of Todd Boehly’s incredible £600m spending spree in his first year as owner.
Giroud hopes the USA international joins him at the San Siro, as he recalled the “Eden Hazard-like understanding” they had on the pitch in their time together at Chelsea.
“I think everyone would like it,” Giroud said on the prospect of Pulisic joining AC Milan.
“He’s a big name in Europe, so that would help us. He is that kind of player with great skills, with great talent.
“He is a cheerful boy, always smiling and we laughed a lot together.
“Our understanding on the pitch was also excellent, a bit like with Eden Hazard, even though I played less with Christian. We knew how to find each other.”
A report earlier this week claimed Chelsea could use Pulisic as part of a swap deal for top striker target Victor Osimhen.
The Blues are in desperate need of a consistent source of goals but Napoli have set the Nigerian’s price tag at a whopping £130m.
It’s thought Pulisic could be used as a makeweight in that deal to make the outlay more manageable.
Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that Chelsea will indeed look to move Pulisic on, and assessed his potential landing spots this summer.
“I think so yes,” Romano said when being asked if Pulisic will move on at the end of the season.
“I can’t confirm any of the rumours we (Italy) had in the last few days with Juventus or Napoli, but the reality is Juventus still don’t know who’s going to be the director for next season. So the project is not clear as they’re still working to meet targets.
“It’s the same for Napoli, as their director Cristiano Giuntoli is a target for Juventus. But it’s also important to remember there are other clubs. Some clubs in England, some clubs in Germany, and I think the player knows that.
“It’s time for him to go and play some regular football, he needs to be consistent and feel like an important player in the club and this is not happening at Chelsea. My expectation is for Chelsea to prepare for him to go this summer, but I think they want an important proposal.
“It’s going to be complicated, maybe a loan deal with a buy option clause, or they could try and find a permanent deal opportunity for Pulisic. But this is one of the priorities of the club (Chelsea), to sell as many players as possible.”
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