GdS: Giroud answers the MLS' call - Milan on stand-by awaiting decision

Olivier Giroud is in negotiations over a move to the United States at the end of the season, but he has not yet made a decision on his future.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, America has come calling for Giroud and he has answered in order to listen to what they have to say. However, the Milan striker will decide later whether to renew his contract or try a new experience.

The situation

Giroud is contracted to Milan until the end of this season at the moment. The Frenchman earns €3.5m net per season with the Rossoneri and he feels a strong attachment to the club.

Not only that, but he has shown himself as being able to perform at a top level too with 14 goals in 36 appearances this season. However, other factors will also weigh on the future, as Giroud himself admitted.

“At the end of the season, more opportunities will open up and I will make my decision. As a footballer and as a family man,” he said. And as a family man, the AC Milan player is increasingly tempted by the idea of giving his children an experience of life in the United States.

The suitors

Giroud has more than one admirer, but Los Angeles FC have stepped forward decisively, as reported by The Athletic, and the dialogue is well underway.

Not only that: the Californian franchise has gained a significant advantage over the competition in MLS thanks to the discovery rights, a right of pre-emption reserved for those who decide to deal first with a player not registered in the American league.

In Los Angeles Giroud would team up with Hugo Lloris, the former Tottenham goalkeeper and captain of the 2018 World Cup winning France side (and runner-up in Qatar). He moved to the USA in December.

The closing of the deal is not imminent, but it cannot be ruled out that it will accelerate in the coming weeks. In this context, Milan are on the sidelines and are awaiting news of a decision from Giroud.

In the meantime, the club will in any case have to invest in a new No.9, with Joshua Zirkzee at the top of the list of candidates. In the background, for Giroud, other options range from Saudi Arabia to other European clubs.