By Geo Craig
Chelsea have reached an agreement in principle to sign striker Olivier Giroud from Premiership rivals Arsenal, Stamford Bridge have just confirmed.
The French international has undergone a medical and will sign a contract to keep him at Chelsea until 2019 – with an option for another year.
Antonio Conte has been keen on adding striker cover for Alvaro Morata during the January transfer window, and it looks as though the Stamford Bridge club have finally got their man.
Giroud’s agent travelled to London this morning to complete the deal and the transfer fee for the 31-year-old is thought to be in the region of £15.3 million with £2.2 million in bonuses.
Official confirmation from both Arsenal and Chelsea is expected to follow shortly.
Arsenal have reportedly been exploring the possibility of signing David Luiz from Chelsea as part of the Olivier Giroud deal.
This image purporting to show a leaked shot of Giroud with Wayne Bridge’s old number 18 has appeared on social media:
Borussia Dortmund have also confirmed the loan signing of Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi until the end of the season, in a Deadline Day merry go round, filling the gap left by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s move to Arsenal.
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