OLIVIER GIROUD has been offered a Chelsea escape route to Lazio – but plans to wait and see if Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho offers him a deal.
It would be a stunning switch for the Frenchman, who scored 73 goals in 119 Premier League starts for hated rivals Arsenal in a six-year spell.
Mourinho had hoped to bring in Giroud, 33, for the last half of this season due to the injury to Harry Kane.
But the Portuguese could now sign the striker on a short-term deal as back-up to Kane next season.
Italians Lazio want to offer Giroud a pre-contract now, with a view to him joining them in June.
The World Cup winner is in the last five months of his deal at Stamford Bridge and will leave on a free transfer.
The Rome club want back-up for Italy forward Ciro Immobile and missed out on Giroud last month.
Inter Milan were also chasing Giroud in January but the Frenchman is not thought to be very happy with Antonio Conte’s club and believes they were stringing him along.
They suggested their deal for Spurs’ Christian Eriksen left them short of cash.
One thing is clear – he is not part of Blues boss Frank Lampard’s future plans.
He has made just 15 Premier League starts for Chelsea since his shock 18m move from London rivals Arsenal in January 2018.
Giroud has made just five starts this season.
The Frenchman would not be worried about the stick he might get by signing for Spurs.
But as he reaches the last few years of his career at the top level he is looking for that final big pay-day.
Whether Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is prepared to give him the two-year deal and wages he craves is another matter though.
However, the striker is set to stall on signing a pre-contract with Lazio to see if anything else emerges in North London, having been denied a January move to Spurs when Chelsea failed to land Dries Mertens from Napoli.
