.jpg)
A 73-years old attack: Milan pairing Chelsea veteran with an aging Ibrahimovic
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 27.05.21. | 19:12
After sitting on Chelsea bench for two seasons, Giroud decided to sign for the Italian club
After securing the Champions League spot in a really good season in Serie A, Italian giants Milan are already looking ahead to the next year. They are one of only two top five clubs in Italy who are not facing turmoil in terms of financial problems or coaching changes (Atalanta is the second one), so they are trying to get to job done quickly.
???????? ???????????????? ???????????????????????????? ????⚫ pic.twitter.com/S68yWPrDWM
— SempreMilan (@SempreMilanCom) May 27, 2021
The first order of business has been the goalkeeper. After they failed to make a deal with a super-agent Mino Raiola (or just didn’t want to put up with his demands) about their captain Gianluigi Donnarumma, Milan decided to let the most talented keeper in all Italy walk away as a free agent. In came Mike Maignan, a keeper from Ligue 1 champions LOSC Lille who signed a deal until June 2026, with a reported fee of around 2 billion Ksh. He will be a perfect replacement for Donnarumma, who will now move on to Juventus or any other club who will pay 1.4 billlion Ksh annually for his wages, plus a heafthy provision to Raiola.
Next up is the attacking position. Whatever Zlatan Ibrahimovic thinks about himself and his body, Father Time has not been kind of him in the second part of the season, and Rossoneri are aware of that, but on the other hand, they are not moving on from ’older’ strikers. After letting go of Mario Mandzukic (35) after an unsuccessful six months in the club, they are bringing one year younger Olivier Giroud, a Chelsea striker, who wasn’t a first, and not even a second choice for either Frank Lampard nor Thomas Tuchel.
???? Ultim'ora: #Milan ad un passo da #Giroud. Stando a quanto pervenuto in redazione, il Milan avrebbe trovato l’accordo con il giocatore ed il suo entourage alla base di 3,5M a stagione per un biennale. Si attendono ulteriori sviluppi nelle prossime ore.https://t.co/ZQ2lZslzfA pic.twitter.com/BF5CRYJ71I
— 7️⃣???? ????⚫La Milano Rossonera 7️⃣???? ????⚫ (@la_rossonera) May 25, 2021
Giroud is reportedly set to join AC Milan on a free transfer this summer after agreeing a two-year deal with the Italian club. Giroud is out of contract with the Blues so he will come as a free agent. Looking at Mandžukic’s statistics from this season (11 games, no goals, no assists), whatever Giroud does, it will be an upgrade over the Croatian player. The French striker has scored 11 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this season, but just 12 of those have been starts. He will be looking for more playing time in Milan, and he probably got that promise, otherwise he wouldn’t have change clubs and agreed to a wage reduction.
