Chelsea hopes of signing Olivier Giroud from Arsenal have been dealt a blow with Monaco now in the race for his signature, reports The Daily Mirror.
Antonio Conte is desperate to sign a target man before Wednesday’s deadline and has now switched his attentions to Giroud after failing to prise Edin Dzeko away from Roma.
Reports emerged on Monday evening suggesting Chelsea had agreed a fee with Arsenal only to withdraw their bid after the Gunners took too long to respond.
Giroud’s future is now in limbo but Monaco have now expressed an interest in the 31-year-old, which could prove a real blow in Chelsea’s hopes of signing the Frenchman.
Arsenal would prefer to sell Giroud to a foreign side but know that they are more likely to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund if the France international moves to Stamford Bridge.
Giroud joining Chelsea would free up Michy Batshuayi to complete a loan move to Dortmund and that would finally allow Aubameyang to complete his club-record move to Arsenal.
In the last four Premier League campaigns, Giroud has scored at least seven more goals than any other substitute (15).
