Jose Mourinho Eyeing Summer Transfer Raid on Chelsea
By Jake Purvis
Jose Mourinho is looking to pick up some squad reinforcements from former club Chelsea this summer, with Olivier Giroud near the top of his target list.
Giroud is a target for Tottenham, Inter and Lazio, with all three clubs looking for some reinforcements in their forward line this summer.
The Express report that Mourinho - who tried to sign Giroud in January - will continue his pursuit of the former Arsenal striker. Giroud signed a £110k-a-week deal just last month, but Chelsea aren't averse to leveraging that new deal into a small fee this summer.
The 33-year-old has previously stated he could have left the Blues in January, but was promised game time by boss Frank Lampard before football was brought to a stop by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Giroud has mentioned that he is settled in London after moving to the capital in 2012, but he could be convinced to leave if he can't find a prominent role at any club in the city.
Inter boss Antonio Conte is said to be keen on bringing the forward to Milan, with Crystal Palace, Lyon and West Ham also keeping tabs on the situation.
With money already tied up in deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner, and a pricey move for Ben Chilwell on the horizon, squad players including Emerson, Ross Barkley, Marcos Alonso and maybe even Jorginho could be rushed out the door to balance the books.
Michy Batshuayi could be another victim of the busy transfer period at Chelsea, with the club trying to move him on for a fee in the region of £30m – an optimistic aim given his lack of impact since joining.