Olivier Giroud has suggested he could still leave Chelsea this summer transfer window despite the club announcing his contract extension.
Giroud’s deal was set to expire in June with AC Milan and West Ham United among the teams reported to be interested in signing the player.
The blues confirmed on Friday that an option to extend Giroud’s contract by a year was exercised in April.
But, Giroud has suggested the announcement is unlikely to prevent him joining a new team this summer, hinting his preference is a transfer to Milan.
‘I want to make it clear that Chelsea reactivated the clause in April and they recently announced it to comply with Premier League rules,’ Giroud said when asked whether the extension affected his hopes to leave the club.
‘It’s fair to remember that I liked [Milan legends] Marco van Basten and Andriy Shevchenko.
‘Milan are a big club and one of the great teams in Europe.
‘But, today, I will not talk about my future at the club because I am focused on the France team and the Euros, which is fast approaching.’
Since joining the blues from Arsenal in 2018, Giroud has already scored 39 goals in 119 matches for Chelsea.
On Benzema competition, Giroud said: “It is normal that the media are enthusiastic about the return of Benzema, because he is an additional weapon.
“It is part of the game. But the people who support me know that I am here to play my part, without making too much noise. I’m doing my part of the job, I’m fully behind the team, I have no qualms, no hard feelings, I’m at peace.”
Benzema once unfavourably compared Giroud to a go-kart, though the Chelsea forward says it is in the past.
“We haven’t had a chance to discuss it, maybe it will happen, it makes me smile,” he said. “I have no grudge against that. I will invite him to a kart circuit if we win the Euros.
“Deschamps did not warn me of Karim’s return. He’s the only one to make decisions. He did not ask me my opinion. There’s nothing to add.”
