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Frank Lampard confirms Chelsea's decision on Olivier Giroud's deadline day transfer
Olivier Giroud will be staying at Chelsea, despite his eagerness to leave the Bluess
Olivier Giroud will not be leaving Chelsea this month, Blues manager Frank Lampard has confirmed. The France international’s future at Stamford Bridge has been up in the air for the last few months.
The World Cup winner has fallen down the pecking order in west London since Lampard succeeded Maurizio Sarri as Blues boss, playing second fiddle to Tammy Abraham and Michy Batshuayi.
Giroud's lack of first-team football prompted him to explore his options, with the Frenchman keen to leave Stamford Bridge to retain his place in the France squad for Euro 2020.
Chelsea were willing to let the former Arsenal man leave this month provided they found a suitable replacement.
That replacement was meant to be Napoli's Dries Mertens, with Blues chiefs holding talks with their Italian counterparts over a potential transfer.
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Chelsea, however, have been unsuccessful in their pursuit of the Belgium international - meaning Giroud won't be leaving west London this month.
Lampard confirmed his stance on the 33-year-old leaving the club in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's clash with Leicester.
When asked if the veteran striker would be leaving the club, he replied: "No."
Lampard gave a similarly blunt response when asked if the club still have any hope of signing Mertens, saying: "No."
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Lampard's refusal to part company with Giroud will be a hammer blow to Lazio and Tottenham, the latter of whom reportedly had an agreement in place to sign the hitman.
It’s unclear what the future holds for Giroud now he seems set to stay at Chelsea.
Giroud is out of contract in the summer and it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where Chelsea manager Frank Lampard lets him leave the club on a free transfer.
Giroud joined Chelsea from Arsenal in January 2018 for a fee of £15million.
The former Montpellier man has made 70 appearances for the Blues, scoring 17 goals and providing 13 assists for the Blues.
Chelsea will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, travelling to the King Power Stadium to take on Leicester City.
Lampard’s troops - who currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League - trail the high-flying Foxes by six points.